Sky Manna
by HiperKitty
Summary: The future must never be seen and the past must never be changed. Blanca Kimura is oblivious to this, for all she knows that is impossible... Do her dreams tell other wise?
1. Like Manna from Heaven

I've always wanted to write something involving dreams. Don't know why I've never done it before. So, this is the first chapter of my brand new fic. It's based in the Hoenn region with many familiar events, but there will be a lot of twists. I know it's a little early to say this, but don't expect to see Team Magma or Team Aqua luring around. Hmmm… You'll see what happens as the fic moves on! Reviews are always welcomed.

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

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**.:The saddest thing about a goodbye is the uncertainty of a return:.**

_The heat of the flames was almost too unbearable. Tongues of orange flames leapt up around stone buildings, eating through wood and stone. The orange glow from the inferno lit up the night sky and drowned out the stars so that only the largest and brightest appeared as mere pin-pricks on the velvety curtain of the sky.  
But there was something strange about this scene: there were no signs of a single living soul. Only charred skeletons of buildings were left as a bitter reminder of the once prosperous life._

_In the midst of the fire stood a young teen, her dark cherry hair dancing wildly at the strong wind. She wore a dark lavender tunic that covered her feet and hands. She watched with no emotion as a pillar crumbled to the ground at her side. What had just happened here?_

_Help…_

_Help us…_

_Please…_

_The girl's crimson eyes glowed brightly with the surrounding fire as she searched for the coming voices. How could there still be people alive? That was impossible. No one could survive those hellhole flames._

_Oh prophet, help us!_

_The girl's heart came to a stop. Burning corpses crawled from under buildings, stumbled across woods and rocks, all going after her. Their bodies were burned, but their blood red eyes were very much alive. All filled with fright and hope as they saw the young girl. The girl wished to run but her body wouldn't obey. She wished to scream but her voice failed._

_Will you help us? One who can see the future the past it can change._

**X**

"Blanca!" her eyes flew open to view the face of her startled friend. Still slumped over, she inspected her surroundings to find that she was in the clearing. She glanced at the high blue sky above her, adjusting her eyes at the intense light of the sun. It was a much nicer view then the one she had just seen. Blanca clapped her hands together and smiled innocently at her friend.

"I guess it happened again." She said.

Indeed it did. Blanca Kimura is a typical sixteen old teenager. She has long dark pink hair and crimson eyes. Average body structure and a very friendly personality. There is only one thing that makes her look out of the ordinary –Dreams. All her life, her mind has been invaded by the strangest dreams like the one she had just now. A burning city… Or was it a town? Dreams that never made any sense to her.

Screams… Panic… The prophet, save the prophet! Death…

"You sure know how to scare me at times!" her friend laughed once they were walking home along the sidewalk. "You're supposed to dream only when you sleep, but you dream anytime of the day! The worse is that you get dizzy and collapse out of nowhere and you scare people with that!" she stopped, once seeing the concern she was putting in Blanca's face. But all she said was true, her friend concerned her deeply. "Isn't there anything you can do to control your dreams?" she asked, despite having made that same question in the past.

Blanca's mind wandered elsewhere, back to the burning city that floated in the sky. "Lisa?"

"Hum?" she asked mid-sentence.

"If I tell you this, will you promise not to laugh at me?" Blanca pleaded.

"Why would I laugh? You're my best friend; you can tell me anything," she nodded reassuringly, a small hint of annoyance in her voice by Blanca's ridiculous assumption.

Blanca smiled. It was nice to have such a good friend as Lisa. "These dreams I have, they are not your typical dream or nightmare. I don't dream of flower fields or beaches. I dream of burning cities, panicked people and death. When I wake up, I feel this terrible headache and a sense of Déjà vou. Like I've been to the places in my dreams before," she explained as she stared down at her polished black boots.

"Well… That sure is weird Blanca. However about the Déjà vou thing; I have those kinds of dreams all the time. One time I dreamt about being in PE class the day before and doing the same stuff. Dreams are just your brain's way of," she paused to think of a good word. "It's like your brain hits rewind or something."

"It's not that. I've never been to these places before," she continued. "And then there's this other thing."

"What?" Lisa begged. Blanca paused as she reached the front gate of her house.

"I'll tell you inside the house," she smiled as she pulled the iron gates open and slipped inside. She ran up the walkway and inserted a bronze key into the keyhole on the front door. Once she turned the key, she threw the door open and dashed inside.

"Claude, Yuki, Kiki, I'm home!" her voice shouted cheerily.

**Surprise!**

Blanca yelped in shock. Her friend Lisa hugged her laughing hard at Blanca's surprised expression. Her brothers and most of her friends popped from every corner of her house shouting 'surprise' and clapping cheerfully. Blanca's eyes encountered every person on the house and rested on a large white ribbon with the following words: 'Good luck Blanca! A journey to be taken alone but with everyone in your heart.' Printed upon it.

An older teen burst into the front hall and wrapped Blanca in a tight hug. Blanca's older brother pulled away and stood before her as calmly as possible.

"Well? What do you think of this surprise farewell party?" he asked excitedly as he looked straight at his sister.

It took a moment for Blanca to answer. "Oh, Claude… This… I really wasn't expecting!" She hugged her brother.

The following hours were filled with joy and much laughter. Blanca had definitely been surprised and gave her brother credit for pulling out a surprise party without her finding out about it. Blanca crashed on the sofa and began to open various presents given by all her friends. She chuckled inwardly as she could figure out most of them even before opening the actual gift. It was all travel stuff, from a brand new orange bag to the last Pokémon navigator model.

"This is all so wonderful! Thank you so very much!" She thanked sincerely, appreciating all the great friends she had.

"Well sis, there's one more surprise." said her brother as he sat down across from the girl.

Blanca watched in curiosity as her brother handed her a box wrapped in baby green paper. Blanca removed the top of the box and let out a cry of surprise. There was a so familiar round devise inside -a Pokéball. She smiled broadly and in excitement shouted:

"Oh, brother! Did you get me a Pokémon?"

"I guess I did." he replied with a laugh in his rough voice. "Why don't you release it to see what type it is?"

"Come on! Let it out already!" shouted Lisa, her eyes focused on the Pokéball.

She let the Pokéball fall from her hands and touch the floor. A flash of pure white light came and a shape of a Pokémon gained form. A pure light green Pokémon came forward. The Pokémon smiled and swung its head leaf around like it was happy to see so many people. Blanca couldn't contain herself from squealing like a fan girl, which made some people cover their ears for their sake.

"Oh bro she's sooooo adorable!" Her arms extended forward at the Pokémon that walked over to her arms as she held it on her lap in a semi-hug. "It's a Chikorita correct?"

"Yes she is. You should thank me for it! It wasn't easy having Professor Birch contact Professor Elm from Johto. That Chikorita has been in New Bark Town's lab for three whole years and no one ever picked her. I guess her petit size makes her look weak. But I know you'll take good care of her."

Blanca looked up and smiled at her brother, and for a few moments, everything felt better again. She took a good look at the Pokémon in her lap. Poor thing, she looked so happy in her lap like she had just found herself a brand new family.

"I'll call you Leaf." she said simply. "How does that sound?"

Leaf's leaf swung even more and she wobbled to lick her new trainer's cheek in approval. Claude laughed at the poor originality in the name but Blanca didn't care.

Lisa smirked poorly. "You're going to travel with a Johto starter? That's a bit unfair Blanca."

"You think? I don't think it's that unfair Lisa. If that were the case then every trainer from Johto would have an unfair advantage over the rest of us correct? Besides, if I keep Leaf then it's just an opportunity for another trainer to begin his journey."

Blanca stared at Lisa serious. Her friend got the point and didn't object anymore. Lisa petted the Pokémon tenderly.

"Onee-sama! Can we play with Leaf too?" Yuki shouted, one of Blanca's younger twins.

"We promise not to break anything!" persuaded Kiki, the second twin.

Blanca sighed. How typical of those two to be so curious. But she loved them and couldn't say no. Blanca allowed for them to go outside and play with Leaf.

Leaf objected. _"I can't go outside Blanca-chan! I'll get lost! Please let me stay inside for now."_

Blanca saw Leaf shouting but what she couldn't phantom. Maybe the Pokémon didn't want to play with her younger brothers. She couldn't blame her for that.

"Yuki, Kiki. Can you two play with Leaf in your room? I think she's afraid to go outside with the two of you,"

Leaf sighed in relief. That was a lot better. The twins pushed Leaf into their room laughing like happy kids. Seeing her brothers happy always filled Blanca with joy.

The teen crashed in the sofa lazily. The only thing with party's was that she would have to always be attending the guests and make sure that they wouldn't grow bored out of their minds. Shortly after, Lisa sat at her side. The two stood silent for a second or two before Lisa decided to talk.

"Can I ask you something?" Blanca groaned in approval. "Have you ever told the twins that you are not really their sister?"

Blanca sat upright at those words. She forced herself to look calm, but the fact was that she hated to talk about that subject.

"Must they really know?" she inquired angry.

Lisa laughed. "I guess they don't, but the way you were found amuses me. It's like a story that came from a fairy tale book." She glanced at Blanca and tried to sound as delicate as possible next. "Can you tell me the story again? I really like it and after tomorrow we will be apart from each other due to our journey. Think of it as your farewell gift to me."

Blanca bowed her head. Her heart seemed to be pinched by something sharp. Although Blanca and Lisa would fight, they were each others best friend and Blanca couldn't imagine them apart for so long.

"If you want to hear it again, then I'll tell it the best way I can." the girl smiled and tried to tell the story like her mother once used to tell her. "My parents were driving home along a desolated road one night with Claude on the back seat of the car. There was a brilliant flash in the sky and my father stopped the car. They got out and watched as I descended from the light in the sky. Mother held out her arms and I simply floated down into them. I fell from the sky, like manna from heaven."

Lisa stood speechless with her head rested in her hand. It was hard to believe such a story but she once heard Blanca's parents say it. Even Claude believed in it although he didn't remember that day. Blanca was introduced to the Kimura family even though she didn't belong there. Blanca herself questioned that many times. Did her parents only keep her out of pity? No, that was not possible. Both her parents showed her nothing more then pure love and always told her the truth despite the fact that they could just simply tell that Blanca was indeed their daughter and no one ever question otherwise.

"You should get back to the guests Blanca." said Lisa. "We'll see each other tomorrow and walk together to Oldale, Agreed?"

"Agreed. See you tomorrow then." The girl replied.

It all lasted for another couple of hours until Blanca and her brother started saying their farewells to the people. Blanca couldn't thank them enough for going to her party. It had been one of the best days she had ever experienced, so much that she had completely forgotten that chilling dream she had earlier the day.

Blanca sighed when she closed the door to the last person standing in her home. It was all so peaceful and quiet now. Leaf stood on the blue couch snoozing. All that excitement wore her off too.

_'No wonder'_ the girl thought with amusement. _'Back horse ridding children is tiring for such a young cub.'_

"Here you go squirt!" the voice of her brother came.  
Blanca was given a broom and she knew what that meant -cleaning. She sighed but given the situation she couldn't say no. After all, her brother did give her a farewell party for her journey as a trainer. That thought filled her mind with joy. Finally, after graduating from Pokémon School, she would leave tomorrow as a brand new trainer. Explore the region of Hoenn and be the best trainer she could become.

As she continued cleaning the living room, she felt a sense of vertigo in her stomach. Her eyes went wide as she placed a hand above her shirt. The air around her started to feel heavy, her mind dizzy and her legs failing.

**X**

_The air was calm, silent. The stars shone their light all around that dark cover that surrounded that place. It was all awkwardly silent. Where were the people? If there were people living over there. A sound of a baby crying broke all the silent and echoed everywhere. So there were people._

_Inside a bronze temple a group of people with white tunics paid their respects to the newest member of their clan. A young woman held the baby in her arms trying to calm the newborn. She closed her eyes and rested a finger in the baby's forehead. Mysterious waves came from her mind striking the baby into a lullaby. The child was a lot cuter when sleeping._

_Above her, in a chanting circle, hovered the three psychic Pokémon: Uxie; Mesprit and Azelf. Yes, it was all so calm and the young woman couldn't be any happier with her greatest treasure resting in her arms. But something caused a panic next. The sound of gongs was being played with no rest -like the person hitting them was in terror. The villagers turned to the entrance of the temple with concern. One faced the woman with the baby and assured they would take care of the intruders. The woman smiled weakly as she tried to understand the commotion outside. Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf hovered around the woman with determination of protecting her if such would be the case._

_The doors of the temple came to a brute opening and screams ran afterwards..._

**X**

_"Blanca-chan! Blanca-chan, wake up!"_

Blanca woke with something rubbing in her face. Her eyes fluttered opened and she saw Leaf, her Chikorita, pounding her gently but with concern. She placed a hand in her head as she got back to her knees. Apparently she had fallen; luckily, there was no one around to see that. Best was not to say anything. She moaned in pain when she rose up.

Chikorita seemed relieved to see Blanca get up_. "Blanca-chan! What happened to you? Are you tired?"_

Blanca saw the concern in her Pokémon's eyes and rested her hand on Leaf's head to comfort her. She couldn't remember what had happened, all she had was this terrible headache like the ones she had whenever she had a disturbing dream. And another eerie dream she had, but this was the first time that it happened two times in just one day. She cursed her luck and kept cleaning the rest of the house with anger. She hated all of that and she only calmed herself because she didn't want to worry her brothers. Tiredness took over her very soon, tomorrow would be a long day.

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**A/N:** Well? How was it? I tried to make the dreams sound frightening, so I hope I didn't screw up the fic with that cause I suck at horror xP By the way; this story has its own profile. If you wish to view it, just go to my profile and click on the Webpage. Don't miss the next chapter!


	2. Together is not you and me

Chapter two of Sky Manna! It's a bit longer then the first chapter because I really wanted to make a decent 'farewell' so to speak. Normally we don't see a character properly leaving and saying goodbye to their family so I really wanted to do that with my characters. So yeah, it's the first and second chapter dedicated to the farewell. But there's more to it then this so don't be afraid of one filler chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

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**.: Friends are remembered in our hearts not on their presence:.**

The morning had developed a different emotional climate that day. Blanca never felt her stomach so tight or 'the butterfly feeling' as many liked to call. She ran past the houses of Littleroot Town with so much going around in her mind, her pony tail hair swinging from one side to another. It was only 5:45 am, but that was how early Blanca liked to get up and go for her usual morning jaunt. She didn't do that to be in shape although she did enjoy the exercise. She would rise before the early bird because that was around the time that her dreams were more frequent. She couldn't stand them. Ever since she could remember, she had seen more horrors then most people just in her dreams. In order to avoid having them, she would set an alarm for 5 am and get up.

"Come on Leaf!" she shouted at her Chikorita cheerily. "You have to keep up!"

The Chikorita yelped out of exhaustion. She wasn't used to run as much as Blanca did. It struck her as irregular how a Human would be that active. From what she knew, Humans were lazy. But Leaf wasn't going to let herself be beaten by a Human. So she picked up the pace and it wasn't long before she was side by side with Blanca, rushing back to their house.

Blanca had a smile the whole way. She was so happy to finally start her journey even if that meant leaving her brothers behind. Maybe that was what gave her the butterfly feeling she had. She kept running along the well defined path relaxing her body with every breath of fresh air. Leaf should be enjoying that morning too, being locked inside a laboratory for three years couldn't possibly be good for health. Poor Leaf… Leaf?

"Leaf? Leaf where are you?"

Blanca's head swung everywhere in search of her Pokémon. Where was she? Not a minute ago she was running by her side. She couldn't have outrun her. Blanca would've seen that.

"_Blanca-chan! Blanca-chan help!"_ came a shout.

Blanca turned her head as she recognized those sounds: Chiko chiko chikori! That was Leaf for sure. Blanca followed the desperate yelling all the way to a dark alley. When she popped her head inside the alley she saw Leaf disorientated looking for an exit. She never saw the opening from where she came…

"Leaf, I'm here." said Blanca, marking her presence.

Leaf turned around and smiled as she saw her trainer enter the alley._ "Blanca-chan! I got lost in here! This place is creepy and there are several Rattata's staring at me…"_

The little green Pokémon rushed to Blanca's arms as the trainer picked her up. Blanca gave Leaf a soft comforting smile and walked back home with the Pokémon on her arms. On the way, Blanca spoke a few words to Leaf.

"You know… It's ok to be afraid. There's no need to be ashamed. You were locked on a laboratory for three years and I believe that for that reason your sense of direction is rather…" she paused, searching for the right word. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Leaf's feelings. "Misfortune. But don't worry Leaf, I promise you this: If you ever get lost, I'll go search for you. If you ever feel lonely, I'll always be near. If you ever fall, I'll help you rise."

Leaf stood wordless at Blanca's speech. Never in her life had she heard such kind words. It was good to know that her luck had changed. Leaf leaned her head against Blanca's chest and closed her eyes. She wasn't asleep, but staying like that with Blanca gave her all the comfort she needed. And for a change, she felt safe.

Shortly after, the two reached their home but Blanca didn't enter the gates. She placed Chikorita on the ground and made signal for them to keep walking.

"Come with me Leaf. I'll show you a great place that I go and relax for a bit." she said, smiling broadly at the petit Pokémon.

Leaf did as her trainer said, picking up her pace and follow her lead. They went around the Kimura house walking inside some bamboos that hided a twisting dirt path. There were grasses slammed against the ground suggesting that people had already been there - most likely Blanca. Leaf's tiny ears fluttered as the shooting sound of water falling reached her. It wasn't long before they got to a clearing that amazed Leaf. In front of them stood a high waterfall filled with clear fresh water falling into a small lake that sparkled with the weak sun light that managed to cross the cover of tree leaves. The grass around that place was so green that Leaf could easily get lost in it and the air was very peaceful. Flowers and leaves chanted as the wind strolled them gently. Pidgeys watched in curiosity at the new guest. From what Leaf could understand, they only referred to her. Blanca seemed a regular.

Blanca removed her sneakers placing her feet inside the cold water. She rested her body on a rock sighing with relief. "Well? What do you think of the place Leaf? Pretty cool, huh?"

"_It sure has nothing to do with the cold busy lab I used to live…"_ She replied still looking at the surroundings. _"I've never seen such a beautiful place! Yippee!"_

Leaf jumped with no warning inside the lake splashing Blanca a bit. The girl giggled at the excitement of her Pokémon. The lake was deep for small little Leaf but she managed to stay on the surface thanks to a couple of Lotad's that entered the fun. Leaf jumped from Lotad head to Lotad head like a game. She giggled and smiled as she bounced. So what if she was acting like a child? It felt so good to be alive!

Blanca watched her starter in joy. She was having so much fun that it gave Blanca the urge to also jump inside the lake, but instead she decided to just appreciate that view one last time before her journey took place. Why couldn't her dreams be like this? It was so beautiful and relaxing. The sound of Pidgey's chirping, Leaf splashing in the lake, trees chanting as the wind dances with them. The calm sun rays shone down on her face warming it up. Everything felt so… good.

"Yikes!"

Blanca felt a push on her lower back that made her loose her balance and fall instantly inside the lake. Blanca rose to the surface, hearing a laughter that she was quite familiar with.

"Brother!" she shouted, seeing the happy face of her elder brother, Claude Kimura.

"Hey sis you look a bit drain!" he laughed at his on joke. "Get it?"

Blanca gave a pissed sound in response. Leaf recognized the older teen, and jumped out of the water and nuzzled her head against his legs. The boy reached a hand at his sister that hadn't made a move to get out. She smiled docilely and accepted it. Leaf laughed when her face chanced to a rather mean one and she pulled her brother inside to join her. When Claude came to the surface, Blanca was already out squeezing her clothes.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed at this time?" she inquired calmly.

"Yeah…" he replied bluntly. He crawled out of the lake not giving care that he was sulked wet. "But then I thought: 'Hey my little sister is leaving for a long time, so, I guess I'll make a small sacrifice and watch her leave."

"How kind of you!" she said in a laugh. "Are the twins up also?"

"They're taking breakfast as we speak. So, what do you say of one last hug before your departure?"

Blanca gave Claude thumbs up and went to grab Leaf. They walked back home and Blanca rushed to get herself ready. She showered, got dressed and made sure she hadn't forgotten anything for her trip. Before leaving the room she kneeled in front of a table where the picture of her parents was. Leaf watched this from afar. After a second, Blanca kissed the photo and ran downstairs to the kitchen followed by Leaf.

"Onee-chan!"

Blanca was slammed by both her twin brothers hard. They almost took the breath out of her. They hugged their elder sister tight and Claude joined by grabbing all three.

The family stood in that position for a while longer. Leaf watched with sadness in her eyes. She once had brothers and sisters too… They would also kindly care for each other and would play for hours in the outdoors of the lab - Their parents watching from afar. Yes, she once had all of that in her life. Once.

"Leaf, we should be going!" came the gentle voice of Blanca.

Leaf snapped awake. She smiled and followed Blanca to the door. Blanca kissed her brothers and little sister goodbye. She opened the door and motioned to Leaf. "This is it Leaf! On to a grand adventure!"

**X**

Blanca had lived all her life in the beautiful town of Littleroot. The villagers were friendly and everybody knew everybody so it was very cosy. She would take all the great memories she had from there into her journey. Just like that stupid fence, where she once cut herself, while running from an angry Linoone along with Lisa. Or the wonderful afternoon's she would pass with her friends while eating cherry blossom ice-cream. She would even remember the day that she and her friends sneaked out of their houses to go to Oldale and see the Aerial Ace live. - They so rocked that day that it was worth the punishment that followed.

"And good morning to you!" came a voice.

Blanca snapped out of her trance to look at Lisa that approached her. The girl walked with grace as her long midnight hair followed her gentle moves. Her clothes were also much nicer then the one's Blanca was wearing. A light grey long sleeved blouse under a red simple vest. Grey knee length pants and red cool boots to match the whole outfit.

"Kawaii!" shouted Blanca. "You look so cute Lisa!"

"Well I am going to be a coordinator, so presentation is a key point." she answered. She also glanced at Blanca's clothing but preferred not to comment. "_A black dress? What is this a funeral?"_ But she kept her mouth shut, mostly because she knew the reason behind her poor clothing choice. "I just came from professor Birch's lab to get my starter. The professor wasn't there but the assistant provided everything I needed."

"Really? Which starter did you pick?" she inquired in excitement.

Lisa chuckled tossing her long dark hair backwards. "I prefer not to tell you for now. But I did remember to get you this."

Lisa reached Blanca's hand and gave her six miniatures of Pokéballs. Next she took her friends bag without warning and stored a Pokédex and a Pokénav inside. She handed the orange backpack back to Blanca smiling. Blanca could only sigh and feel a bit embarrassed from forgetting such basic things.

"Thanks." she paused. Blanca searched for Leaf and found the Pokémon already getting a little too far away from her. She went to pick her up so she wouldn't get lost again. She would put a leash on her if needed in order to keep her safe. "So are you ready to get going? Said goodbye to everyone?"

Lisa smiled, but Blanca realized that she hesitated to answer her question. "I'm ready." she simply said.

Her friend put on a rather serious face and started walking down route 101. Blanca took one last glance at her house and smiled. She would miss them. Her head then turned towards Lisa's house. Her parent's car wasn't there. So that's why she was upset. Her parents didn't even stay to wish her good luck or goodbye. Lisa would always try to hide the pain that her parents caused by ignoring her constantly, but Blanca could always see pass that serene look of hers. Sometimes, she wished to be brave enough to stand up to Lisa's parents and make them realize that material stuff is not love. But a kiss, a hug or just a simple gesture is love.

"Hey Blanca, you're not going to dream now are you?" yelled Lisa from a few good meters afar.

Blanca sweat dropped. "Coming!"

**X**

"_Green fields! Small grass, tall grass! Wurmple on trees and Taillow flying! I can't believe I missed three years of my life stuck on a lab! Weeee!"_

Leaf ran around the grass as exited as a kid was when given a new toy to play. Blanca enjoyed seeing Leaf that happy, but she hated it when her Pokémon would run into tall grass. She would get lost inside them almost instantly. Even Lisa started to find Leaf's sense of direction terrible. Blanca really started pondering about the leash thing.

"Torchic."

"Hu?" replied Blanca lost.

Lisa repeated. "Torchic. I choose a Torchic as my starter Pokémon. I named him hot wings and everything."

Lisa smirked at Blanca and Blanca smiled back. The two girls stared at each other for seconds before bursting into laughter.

"No you didn't!" laughed Blanca kneeling to the ground.

Lisa laughed even more resting both her hands in knees. "Of course not! I would never name a Pokémon with such a cheesy nickname! Hell! I eat hot wings for dinner!"

The girls kept laughing until their stomachs ached. They had to sit down and regain some breath back before continue walking. Leaf took the opportunity to stroll around for a while as the girls rested. Blanca removed one bottle of water from her bag and took a good gulp out of it. She offered Lisa the rest and she accepted it. If someone were to see them right now -leaning against a tree with no coordination, laughing and drinking water - people would say they were hung over.

"If we travelled together our journey would be lots of fun." suggested Blanca.

"Yes it would." said Lisa. She then laid completely on the ground admiring the deep blue sky above them. Not a cloud could be seen. "But I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

Lisa sighed. "Because this journey is about meeting new people, and I believe we would grow bored of each other if we were to spend so much time together. Friends who become rivals? How classic."

Lisa could be harsh with words sometimes. Blanca looked away not bothering to further the conversation on that subject. If that was how she wanted things to be, then so be it.

"_Blanca-chan!"_ Chikorita came rushing out of the bushes straight into Blanca's arms. _"Blanca-chan come quick!"_

"Leaf what is it? Did you see something?"

Leaf bit Blanca's dress hem and pulled. Blanca rose, so did Lisa. Leaf jumped a few times to get their attention and ran into the bushes again. The two teens followed behind. It surprised Blanca to see Leaf knowing where she was going, but she soon realized that it was easy as all Leaf was doing was follow a strange yelling. Both girls rushed to the place and in seconds arrived to the source of the yelling. When they got there, they didn't know if rather they should be worried or laughing.

"Shoo! Shoo! Get away from me, you beast!"

Holding on a skinny tree branch, was professor Birch trying to avoid being bitten by a small Poochyena that growled from underneath him. The puppy Pokémon seemed furious. Blanca and Lisa stared at each other and shrug their shoulders. Was it really necessary for them to help the professor from such a small Pokémon? Hell, probably only Leaf was a bit smaller then that Poochyena.

The tree branch made a cracking sound and sweat covered the professor. That was when he saw the two girls staring at him. "Y-you two! A little help please?"

"I'll let you handle this one." said Lisa.

Blanca nodded turning to Leaf. "Ok. This is going to be our first battle. You ready Leaf?"

"_Let's do this Blanca-chan!"_ she replied whirling her head leaf.

Leaf approached the Poochyena taking a battle position. The Poochyena however didn't pay her attention and kept growling at the professor hopping for the branch to break very soon. Leaf took another step forward, coughing twice. She still hadn't been noticed.

"_Excuse me!"_ She shouted. The Poochyena glared at her finally. _"I suggest for you to leave that fat Human alone or you're gonna have to handle me!"_

"_Stay out of this kid! This 'fat Human' and I have unfinished business to settle."_ he growled back.

The Poochyena barked louder frightening the professor. Blanca focused and started the battle.

"Leaf, knock that Poochyena out of there with a Tackle!"

Leaf charged forward gaining speed along the way. Her sense of direction was bad but her aim was pretty good. She hit the Poochyena on the guts sending him flying and crashing on the ground. The Poochyena huffed when he got up showing his sharp teeth at Leaf.

"_Great. You have a trainer, how cute."_ He snarled. _"I told you to stay out of my way kid. And now you're gonna regret not have listened to me!"_

The wild Poochyena charged against Leaf hitting her with his own Tackle. Leaf was thrown backwards making two back flips on the ground. It surprised her and Blanca how that Poochyena was strong. But Blanca had a plan in mind already.

"Leaf, combine Growl followed by Tackle!"

Leaf did so and launched a painful sound at the Poochyena. The sound distracted the puppy Pokémon and Leaf charged forward with a hard Tackle. The Poochyena got up again but Leaf used the same commands as before. It would seem dull to use the same attacks over and over again, but the fact was that Growl distracted and weakened the Poochyena's strength while Leaf would weaken his health with Tackles -It worked.

"Haha! That's it! Very good, now hit it again and… oh no, no, no!"

The branch cracked even more and the professor's weight proved to be too much for it. The branch bust and the professor slammed on the ground hard. He sat up dizzy while complaining about his back. The Poochyena saw this and immediately took his attention towards the professor. He barked and charged at the dizzy man. Blanca panicked.

"Leaf, don't let him attack the professor!"

"Blanca, use a Pokéball!" shouted Lisa with her hands cupped around her mouth.

"What?"

"A Pokéball! Toss a Pokéball at the wild Poochyena! Hurry!"

"O-ok." Blanca quickly reached her bag removing one small red and white device from inside. Her finger clicked on the white button and the Pokéball enlarged filling up her entire hand. She aimed at the running Poochyena concentrating next. "Go, Pokéball!"

Blanca had used some considerable strength on the toss. The Pokéball was launched like a ball hit by a bat on baseball. The professor yelled raising his arm for protection as the wild Poochyena jumped. But at that instant the Pokéball hit the wild Pokémon releasing a red light that sucked the Poochyena inside. The round device fell to the ground moving a couple of times before…ping! The Poochyena was caught.

Blanca stood in awe at the scenario. Did she just capture a Pokémon? The teen walked over to the steady Pokéball kneeling next to it. The professor got up in front of her dusting his lab coat.

"Thank you. That was a close one. Who knew that Poochyena's could get so angry just by taking a little look at them? You better be careful with that one over there missy." the professor pointed out.

Blanca held her newly captured Pokémon in her hands. She admired her capture as she also wondered if she had done the best thing to capture it.

"What should I do Lisa?" she pleaded.

Her friend raised an eyebrow at such a silly question. "What do you mean 'What should I do'? You captured it fair and square didn't you? According to the rules it's yours Blanca."

"Blanca?" wondered the professor approaching the two girls. "I knew I had seen your faces somewhere. You're Claude's younger sister correct?"

"Yes I am professor Birch." replied Blanca in a shy smile.

"I knew it!" he shouted, snapping his fingers in a weird way. "And of course you are Lisa Summers." He motioned to Lisa who smiled back. "So you two are starting your journey?"

"That is correct professor." said Lisa grabbing Blanca's hand. "And we really should get going if we ever wish to arrive to Oldale before the sun sets."

The professor chuckled. "Of course, of course! You two have much to travel. I wish both of you the greatest luck on your journey."

Before Blanca could say a word, Lisa dragged her by the hand. After a few hours walking they could view the skeleton house shapes of Oldale. Leaf jumped in joy at the idea of arriving in a new town and have a meal. For some reason both Blanca and Lisa hadn't eaten since breakfast. She only hoped for them to be hungry enough for an afternoon meal.

Blanca kept her mind focused on her knew Pokémon. She knew that as a trainer she had to capture Pokémon, but in the case of this Poochyena was different. She captured him from behind and from what she could tell he never really wanted to battle her in the first place much less be captured.

"_Please forgive me if I caused you any harm."_

_

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_

**A/N:** Lisa's profile will be displayed on the usual site by the end of the day. You know the steps: Go to my profile and click on the homepage. Then go to 'Sky Manna' and there you go! Simple hu? The Poochyena will not be displayed for now as more about him will be shown next chapter. So until then… Review!


	3. Trust is Earned

Here it is chapter three! It took a while longer as I am busy with school and some other stuff. So, with that in mind, yes further chapters will take longer to be updated. But I hope that doesn't trigger you off from this fic!

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

* * *

**.:A Friend is a second self:.**

"_Give it up kid! You're no match for me!" growled a shadow of a man._

_Blanca stood unease, as her crimson eyes watched the blurry image of the man who shouted random commands at the Pokémon standing in front of him. Her eyes could not see the Pokémon that she was fighting against, the image that surrounded her was dramatically blurred._

"_You go away!" she found herself shouting. "You had no right to steal those - - from this -! Just who are you?"_

_Painful screeches cut off most of the speech between the two. Blanca could only see the man in a silhouette way, but his teeth sparkled in a way that Blanca understood that the man was smirking._

"_I'm a - of - -! Hear it well - - - be the last time you'- ever see one of us! - counterattack with -! Send that dog back to hell!"_

_The screech was becoming unbearable, but it seemed that neither Blanca nor the man noticed anything. Blanca shouted a command that could not be heard and her Pokémon charged forward. A hurting sound echoed all around as the image blurred completely._

_It would seem the end, but then something happened. Blanca's head moved suddenly backwards. She had heard something move near the trees that surrounded them and filled the whole scenario._

_Jumping from the bushes emerged a creature with vivid blue eyes that scared Blanca into a scream. The image switched to the creature picking up something that made the man that Blanca was fighting with panic. All that came next was the creature leaving the same way it had appeared… the Pokémon growling angrily… everything growing even more blurry and darker… a last glance at Blanca's surprised expression… a hand grabbing her from behind…_

**X**

A loud scream.

"Calm down it's just me!"

Blanca panted for air with her hand resting on her heart that drummed frenetically. Lisa stood worried at her side holding a bottle of water in her hands. The hazel eyed girl tried to give it to Blanca, but she refused raising her hand. She continued breathing hard for a couple of more agonizing seconds before finally taking the bottle of water and obtained a good gulp of fresh water out of it.

"Don't do that again Lisa…you scared me."

The other girl snorted. "Well, I'm sorry. I was just waking you up for breakfast to avoid eating alone." her hand pointed toward a clock hanging on the wall. "It's almost ten Blanca and breakfast will be over soon. I know they only have bread with terrible butter and horrible cheese, but if we're lucky we'll get bacon. Now get your lazy derrière up and let's go! Your Poochyena must be almost out of the infirmary also."

The girls had reached Oldale Town and stayed the night at the local Pokémon center. Once they had arrived, Blanca went for the Pokémon center where she handed her recent capture to the so familiar nurse Joy, just to make sure that Poochyena hadn't been seriously hurt on the battle. Blanca hadn't seen her Poochyena yet and was looking forward to it, but she was also afraid of the Pokémon's reaction towards her. She hoped for the Pokémon to be acceptable with the way that Blanca captured it, even if not, she could always release the Pokémon… but she didn't really want to do that for it would be a shame for her first capture to leave. Also, it would be nice to start building up a team.

"So," started Lisa as the girls sat down on an empty table to start eating their breakfast. "What got into you to scream that much? You woke up half the center."

Blanca fused her teeth with the cheese sandwich in her hands. That was not the best bread she had eaten and Lisa was right when she said that the butter was awful. "I was having a really weird dream…" she answered mouth full.

Lisa left eyed twitched as she stared at Blanca talking while chewing on her food. Where was the ethic? "Another dream? Can you this time tell me what it was about?"

"It was strange… I was in a middle of a battle against a man whose face I couldn't see. The battle ground seemed to be in a forest although everything was blur and noisy. By the end, something with vivid blue eyes jumped out of a tree from behind me and grabbed something that I couldn't see but left my opponent huffing." she eyed Lisa evilly. "That's when you grabbed me causing me to wake up in panic!"

Lisa chuckled. "How was I supposed to know you were dreaming? Sure, you were sweating a lot from your forehead, but I just thought you were hot or something with all the blankets."

"But that dream was never supposed to happen…" murmured Blanca, remembering that she had forgotten to set the alarm on her clock and overslept. The tiredness of the journey the two made to get to Oldale had proven to be rough on her.

After breakfast the two teens went to pack their stuff and moved to the entrance hall of the center. Once there, Blanca received her Chikorita from a cheerful Chansey.

"_Blanca-chan!"_ shouted Leaf jumping into her trainer's arms.

"Hey! You look happy today. Thank you Chansey."

"_It was my pleasure." _answered the Chansey in a low bow. She then motioned to the little Chikorita. _"Now remember Leaf, in every hall of a Pokémon center there are signs signaling everything around. From numbering rooms to the cafeteria and bathroom, if you pay them attention then there's no way you'll ever get lost in here!"_

Leaf chuckled blushing slightly. _"Yeah, I'll pay more attention to the signs next time, thank you Chansey!"_

The Chansey bowed again and left to attend other trainers. Blanca smiled, hugging Leaf tighter in her arms.

"Looks like you already made a friend." she said raising an eyebrow at Leaf's new weight. It looked like she was fed - and very well for that matter.

The two sat on a bench waiting for Nurse Joy to show up and inform Blanca of the Poochyena's condition. Leaf sat on Blanca's lap and watched in amazement and excitement all the trainers that appeared there. Lisa said something about being obvious that they were rookies as most of them would go 'I just battled a really strong Zigzagoon on the way here! He took out my Wurmple with ease but I managed to capture it anyways.' Or even 'I just caught a Wingull! They're really rare! I'm the best!' Yup, they were all newbie's. It especially annoyed Lisa when she saw them bragging their recently captured Pokémon and making it sound like they were the toughest trainers in the world.

"Oh please." Lisa spat. "These trainers think they're all that, but I could take any of them down before you can count to ten."

Lisa made no effort to talk low, gaining some evil attention from the trainers standing nearer to them. One boy in particular smirked and approached her calmly.

"Excuse me." he started. "I clearly heard your comment towards us 'rookies'. But may I add that you are a rookie yourself miss…"

"Lisa Summers." she cut the boy, standing up from the bench. "And yes, I'm new also. However, I know how to act like a proper trainer. I find it embarrassing to hear amateurs brag about such trivial things."

Blanca shivered when she saw the face of the boy. Lisa's last comment had thrown him off. Blanca couldn't help but to smile at Lisa's elegant way of saying things towards people. She was polite but could always touch somebody's nerve with her tone. The boy stylishly grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and enlarged it in his hand.

"You may act like a trainer but you must show how much of a trainer you really are. Lisa Summers, I challenge you for a one-on-one Pokémon battle!"

It seemed as those words were a magnet, as they drained attention towards the girls from many trainers standing there. Before Blanca could blink, she found herself surrounded by curious eyes. Without a doubt, those trainers wanted to see a battle. Blanca searched for Lisa and saw that her friend had a smirk across her face and a Pokéball resting in her left hand. She looked ready to battle, but was she planning to do it on the Pokémon center?

"I accept your challenge. Let's see how much that bravery of yours will last. Pyro, come on out!"

For the first time, Blanca saw Lisa's starter. It was a Torchic just like she had said the other day. But 'Pyro' was a much better name then 'hot wings'. The fire-type chirped happily from finally getting out of his Pokéball. Lisa's opponent didn't seem too impressed and released his Pokémon. When the Pokéball hit the floor, it revealed an all metallic like Pokémon. He opened his dark hollow eyes growling loud to let himself be noticed. In front of them all, stood the Rock/Steel type Pokémon, Aron. That surprised everyone in the room.

"How in the world did you get an Aron? They live in caves and I didn't saw any on the way here." said Lisa, more curious then intimidated.

The boy smiled cockily. "Let's just say it was a family gift to me. I know that he is a steel-type and that fire-type Pokémon have advantage over him, but I know that your Torchic is still on a very weak level to know any fire moves. Now, shall we commence?"

"Pyro, Scratch!" shouted Lisa, giving start to the battle.

Pyro ran forward to his opponent scratching him across the face. Torchic's claws scratching on Aron's metal body created a very unpleasant sound but more importantly, Lisa realized that it had barely done any damage to the steel-type Pokémon. Her action caused the boy to laugh.

"You can't harm Aron with physical attacks! Now who's all show? Aron, Tackle!"

"Pyro, dodge it and kick him back!" shouted Lisa in retaliation.

Aron charged but missed Torchic. The fire-type jumped in the air and kicked Aron on the face with strength making his opponent back flip to the ground. That move had impressed Blanca and a lot of trainers around them. Leaf cheered in excitement for Pyro and craved to also be on a battle herself. Blanca noticed at this point that Lisa never once seemed worried. Her final commands came next.

"Pyro, power it up and kick that Aron full strength to the east!"

Pyro simply nodded once, unrevealing any kind of emotion. Next the little Hoenn starter rushed for Aron and like a martial artist, kicked Aron on the side of the face sending him flying east obeying his trainer's command. At first Blanca was confused for such a specific location, but she then understood why Lisa wanted for Aron to go there. The steel-type and rock-type Pokémon landed right in the center of an aquarium and despite the fact that everyone there were newbie's, they all knew what water could do to a rock-type Pokémon.

"Aron!" shouted the boy with worry.

He made haste to take his Pokémon out of the water. The Pokémon wasn't seriously hurt but it had no more strength to keep fighting. Lisa was declared the winner much for the boy's dislike.

"That'll teach you a lesson of not to be blinded by an upper advantage." said Lisa to no one in particular.

Cheers echoed all around them coming from the impressed trainers. The boy huffed and left their sight so did the trainers as the Chansey scold them and Lisa for having a battle inside the center. Blanca waited for them to leave as she tried to hold Leaf steady in her lap.

"I didn't know you were so good at this." she commented once the two were alone again. "That was good usage of the surrounding environment."

Lisa toyed with her hair between her fingers. One could tell she was feeling pretty good about herself. "I had a battle instructor for three months. You could say he taught me a few things."

Blanca said nothing regarding that. She just smiled rolling her eyes in the process. Lisa had a pretty good advantage compared to her. She knew Lisa would accomplish a lot but she had her doubts when it came to her.

And as silence came, it also quickly vanished with a loud crashing sound.

Something like glass broke inside the infirmary where supposedly Blanca's Poochyena was. Both girls got up in a flash as a commotion could be heard inside. Blanca's heart seemed to stop. She halted her impulses of bursting inside the infirmary and see what was going on with her own eyes. She held back those impulses but she couldn't when she heard the second sound of glass breaking.

"Nurse Joy!" shouted Blanca opening the door.

Her eyes went wide as they met the chaos inside. There were peaces of glasses scattered everywhere, objects had fallen from their original place and the window was broken. The lavender curtain making gentle moves as the outdoor wind would gently touch it.

Nurse Joy ran passed the girls not giving them attention and shouted outside. "Quick! We have a Poochyena on the run! I repeat; a Poochyena just escaped the infirmary!"

That was all Blanca needed to know.

"Blanca!"

"I'll be back, Lisa! I'm going to look for my Poochyena!"

"He's your Poochyena?" asked the nurse eyeing Blanca and recognizing her. "It's unsafe for you to go after him even if you are his trainer! That Poochyena became very angry when it came to its senses and… Hey, wait!"

It was too late. Blanca wasn't going to stay and listen. She ran out of the center with Leaf in her arms. Not once did she look back. Blanca never saw her Poochyena when she came outside but she kept running past the people and search behind every house and garden. She kept running and searching… running so much. As she did she started feeling this terrible head ache. She came to a stop grabbing her head out of pain. It seemed as her head was about to explode, but she was invaded by these flashes of images. Water… the sound of water running like a river or lake. Clean green grass, a cool breeze… a Poochyena staring at the horizon. Was that where her Poochyena was?

"_Blanca-chan!"_ Leaf yelped.

Blanca shook her head and rushed for the upper side of the village. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that her Poochyena was there. That route was mainly for trainers to catch Pokémon. But it was grassy and had a wonderful clear lake near it. And there, sitting near the water was her Poochyena. Blanca knew it was hers; there was no doubt about it. It was just this feeling she had. Leaf agitated and jumped out of Blanca's arms running up to her partner.

"_There you are!" _she shouted happy. The Poochyena sneered but didn't say anything. _"Blanca was worried sick about you! You shouldn't have escaped the infirmary you know? You could still be hurt."_

The Poochyena kept himself quiet. Blanca arrived sitting next to the Poochyena with her arms around her knees. She kept herself silent too, just admiring the view. Leaf started getting disturbed with all that silent that Blanca had no choice but to return her to her Pokéball, so she could calm down a bit. The young teen closed her crimson eyes relaxing to the sound of the gentle waves near them. That place reminded her of her hiding place back at Littleroot.

"You know." She broke the silence. "I don't think you actually meant to escape. If you indeed didn't want to come with me then you would've gone south where your home is." The Poochyena stared with his hollow eyes on his alleged trainer. "This place is very good. Good for thinking about what to do next. I believe you came here because you felt confused about what would happen to you now. What decision to make and what is the right thing to do." Blanca smiled at the Poochyena docilely. "You don't really have to think a lot. If you wish to stay here, then I don't mind releasing you. However, it would be my pleasure to have you on my team as I think you could really become very strong in the future and an important part of my team." She giggled. "This is silly, but I had also thought of a name for you – Kuru. Do what you find best for you, but understand that I believe we met for a reason."

The Poochyena smirked involuntarily. That Human was strange. The sun got brighter at that point, the lake sparkled wonderfully. Those sparkle… That's what he wanted for his future. A bright future. Could that girl Blanca help him achieve that? She didn't look very strong but her aura… her aura was strange and very powerful. That determined that she had a very strong sense of willpower. Perhaps she was right; they did meet for a reason. The Poochyena got up getting Blanca's attention - he turned his tail at her and walked away.

Blanca watched all of this, but she did nothing to stop the hound. Truly, it wasn't up for her to decide the future of a Pokémon. The girl sighed, rising up - there was nothing she could do now, except call Kuru back into his Pokéball, but that would be selfish of her. Blanca walked slowly not giving care to the wild Pokémon that watched in curiosity between the tall grasses. Her mind wondered about so many things, that she could only focus on herself. But all her thoughts were broken, when she heard a stick break. The sudden sound made her head turn backwards. She watched in surprise as her eyes met a black puppy staring at her.

"_I like the word 'strong', as long as you prove your worth to me, I shall assist you in what I can."_

The Poochyena's Pokéball opened and a red light sucked him inside. Blanca blinked in surprise - What made him change his mind? She held the Pokéball in her hands, all kind of questions circulating in her mind. But it was just like she had said; there was nothing she could do now. After all, it had been the Poochyenas' decision.

"Welcome to the team Kuru." she finally said in a smile.

**X**

It wasn't long before Blanca returned to the Pokémon center with the good news that the Poochyena had been found, and was sound and safe with her. Nurse Joy forgave all the damage that Kuru had caused on the infirmary, but Blanca had a feeling that that was only because Lisa had already paid most of the damage with her own money.

Once outside again, Blanca felt her stomach shrink to the size of a bean. She had a strange feeling that something that she didn't want would happen now. And something did happen.

"We split here, Blanca." announced Lisa. "I'm going to north of Oldale to capture a few Pokémon. You must make haste for the next town."

"So, is this good-bye?"

Lisa chuckled. She stepped forward hugging Blanca tight. "Of course not, silly! Our paths will cross many times - don't you worry about that."

Blanca had to hold back some tears but managed to hug Lisa back with a smile. She would miss Lisa but she knew that her friend was right about their paths crossing many times. And that was a relief for her. The two broke the hug and Lisa waved good-bye as she moved to her own path.

Blanca turned around to face her own trail. Just outside Oldale was route 102. That was it. That was where her adventure really would begin. She knew it wouldn't be easy but she would have to stay strong and believe in her dreams. She took one step forward, towards her destiny.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm tired… Really, it's so hard to update when you have school holding you back. Anyways hope you liked it and don't forget to review. Kuru's profile will be up in a few days, so don't forget to keep checking the web-page.


	4. Self doubts

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

* * *

**.: Hatred is a slow poison that consumes your soul :.**

The wind was blowing a gentle and humid west breeze along the area. The grass swayed at the gentle strokes of their refreshing friend, and the lake reflected all the glory of the sun.

"Rush for a Tackle, now Kuru!"

"Dodge it, Rufus!"

Standing on an improvised battle field, stood Blanca, competing against a trainer that had just challenged her. The trainer sent a Zigzagoon while Blanca chose to use Kuru, her Poochyena, for the first time. So far, Kuru had done great and, surprisingly, had obeyed every single order of Blanca. Well, it was true he would dodge attacks and make small improvisations on his own, but he kept loyal to every single attack that Blanca would call. The young female was surprised for both the obedience and Kuru's strength. The Poochyena proved to be very fast and strong in battle, with good evasion and retaliation.

Kuru charged forward with speed aiming at his opponent Rufus, the Zigzagoon. However, Rufus proved to be faster and dodged the incoming attack. The raccoon Pokémon then opened his mouth to bite Kuru's tail - bad idea. Kuru immediately swirled, tackling the Zigzagoon straight in the guts, taking the Pokémon's breath away.

"This is so wrong…" the trainer murmured under his breath. "Rufus, get a hold of yourself and charge for a Tackle!"

Surprisingly, the tiny raccoon got back to his feet and charged at Kuru fiercely. Blanca bit her lip – that Pokémon sure had a lot of guts. He was really fast too, so Blanca had to come up with something quick, before the Zigzagoon could hit Kuru again.

"Alright, Kuru!" Blanca called. "Wait for it…"

Kuru stared nervously at Blanca and at the incoming raccoon. Was she serious? Waiting to get hit? Every single animal instinct he had told him to run away, but he remained on his spot only because he wanted to give Blanca a chance to prove herself… if she failed, then he would regret for the rest of his life, the day he joined her team.

Then, at the last second, Blanca shouted. "Jump, then Tackle!"

Quickly and in a flash of an eye, Kuru jumped and time stood still, Rufus had no way of escaping his next move as it was too late to outmaneuver him. Kuru crashed down on Zigzagoon in a Tackle attack.

"Rufus!" shouted the boy in panic. He saw in slow-motion, his companion collapse on the ground, clearly unconscious. There really was nothing he could do now, except return him to the Pokéball. "Rufus, return..."

Blanca squealed at this. Her first victory ever! How great was that? It hadn't been as easy as it looked; in fact, there were times that Blanca wondered about both hers and Kuru's skills. But the Poochyena had done wonderfully for her first battle.

"Kuru we won! Victory number one is ours!"

Blanca rushed to hug her Pokémon, but stopped halfway when Kuru glared at her. He didn't seem the hugging type.

_"Kuru-chan!"_ Leaf called out. If she had pom-poms, she would be waving them around at that moment. _"You did great! Where did you learn to attack and defend yourself that way?"_

Kuru smirked, some pride in the fake smile. _"Wild Pokémon are a lot tougher then the ones raised by Humans. In my case, I was raised by a clan of Poochyenas, where my father was the leader."_ It then hit Kuru that he was already talking too much; his past was not a subject of Leaf's interest. _"All in all, I do have superior surviving instincts. Better then you, no doubt about it."_

Kuru walked away, leaving Leaf behind lost in his last words. Better then her? Since when? If she recalled well, she hit him good on their first encounter.

"_Kuru-chan, you're a big meanie!"_ Leaf shouted, even tough Kuru was already out of ear reach. _"I'm a strong Pokémon…"_

Leaf talked to herself, but those words did mean a lot to her. She didn't want to disappoint Blanca, if she wasn't good then… Blanca could return her to the lab! Just the thought of returning to that place, caused her chills. Well… Blanca didn't seem to be that kind of person, but, in her case, she could never be too careful.

Blanca shook hands with the opposing trainer. Both had agreed that it had been an amazing battle and the trainer even flattered Blanca for performing so well in her first battle.

"It was ok, I guess!" she said, giggling. "You did great also. I'll admit, there were times I wondered if I could handle the situation or not!"

The trainer nodded at this. "I'm no Norman, but I can hold my ground!"

At the mentioning of the name, Blanca wondered. "Norman? He's a gym leader correct?"

The boy gasped at this. "How in the world can you not be sure? Of course he's a gym leader! The best there is. You'll meet him when you reach Petalburg; he's your first attempt to receive an official league badge, so good luck on that!"

The young trainer left Blanca, laughing as he waved her good-bye. Blanca blinked – for Arceus sake; she didn't have to know all the gym leaders in the world! Why would it matter? All she had to worry about was being ready to face them, regardless of who it was.

"Leaf, Kuru, we're leaving."

Kuru followed behind Blanca, his head lift up high, clearly, he was still proud of his performance. After a few steps, Blanca noticed something. She turned her head to see that Leaf wasn't around, she sighed.

"Kuru… can you sniff Leaf?" she asked looking down at the puppy.

The Poochyena rolled his eyes – he was not going to babysit Leaf, so Blanca better not count on him to much in the near future. Sighing exaggeratedly, Kuru started sniffing the ground. He quickly picked Leaf scent – she smelled like pickles. The dog calmly walked over to some tall grass stopping before the same. He nodded at Blanca that approached the area; she kneeled down and moved the grass to the sides with both her hands. In the middle of the grass, stood Leaf looking sideways completely lost. Blanca had to force herself not to laugh at this. Poor Leaf, she was cursed with such a bad sense of direction.

"Leaf," she called. "This way."

Leaf blushed and rushed for Blanca's arms. Kuru said something to her, but Leaf replied by sticking her tongue out at him. The Chikorita made herself comfortable in Blanca's arms and they were ready to go.

The road to Petalburg itself wasn't hard to walk. On the contrary, it was pleasant and offered a very enjoyable view. Kuru took the time to battle a few wild Pokémon, such as Wurmple, Seedot and Lotad. At this battling rate, he would soon be on a very high level, but Blanca didn't complain - after all, she did get to practice a lot and get used to Kuru. Without noticing, both Blanca and Kuru had been battling wild Pokémon for hours, Blanca was so focused, that she didn't even remember to capture any of the defeated Pokémon. She and Kuru worked well as a team.

Leaf would watch from afar these battles; Blanca not once called her to test her own abilities. Not that she was jealous - heck, if Kuru wanted to be strong that badly then good for him. All that Leaf feared was for Blanca to leave her, once she would establish a good team of six.

It took them quite some time to get to Petalburg, but finally they were getting close.

"Come on, don't let her get away!"

The sudden shouting caused Blanca and her Pokémon to stop and look. Just a few feet away from them, was a tall handsome man screaming something at a younger boy standing next to him. The boy seemed bored out of his mind as well as annoyed.

"What do you mean don't let her get away? I don't want to have a Pokémon with that attitude! I'm not desperate you know!"

"You dragged me all the way here and you're not going to capture a Pokémon? Who cares if she has an attitude problem? Part of being a trainer is taming your Pokémon!" the man sighed heavily, that boy was starting to get on his nerves. "You there! You're not afraid of capturing a Pokémon, right?"

The man pointed directly at Blanca. The young girl looked side ways a little embarrassed from being caught 'spying' on them. She took a few steps toward them and it was then, that she understood what was really going on. An injured Ralts stood between the two challengers and a beaten up Zigzagoon – she sure was seeing a lot of raccoons lately, maybe they were popular among trainers.

"N-no, I'm not sir…" she found herself replying to his question. Where was he going with this?

The man smiled and then spanked the back of the boy's head. "See? She's not afraid! Young girl, would you be so kind to show him how to decently capture a Pokémon? Like any trainer in the world would?"

The boy growled, looking at Blanca in an evil way. She actually felt confused, everything was all so sudden. Did he just tell her to capture that Ralts? The psychic Pokémon whirled toward her, she was clearly angry and exhausted, but not even that kept her mouth shut.

"_Oh, you want a piece of me too? Bring it on wimp!"_

The small Ralts, rose her arms up in a fighting position, ready to take on any Pokémon Blanca could send. But Blanca pitied the injured Pokémon. She was covered up in dirt and bruises, her breathing was irregular and her anger blinded her from realizing how seriously injured her body was. Blanca didn't had it in her to attack such wounded Pokémon. But, she knew very well, that if she didn't, then that man would most likely attack the Ralts with no mercy – something about her having an attitude problem caused the boy next to him to dislike the Pokémon.

"_Come on Blanca, let's take her out!"_ said Kuru in a good mood.

In the end, it hadn't been such a bad idea to join forces with Blanca. She proved to be quite skilled as a trainer, all she had to learn, was how to toughen up a bit. In Kuru's opinion, she was a bit too soft during battles.

"Go, Pokéball!" came the shout of Blanca.

Her action surprised everyone, especially Kuru, who was actually hoping for a battle. She threw one of her red and white devices at the wild Ralts, hitting her directly. A red light came out of the Pokéball, 'sucking' Ralts inside, before closing and fall to the ground. It was moving around quite a lot. Blanca was felling nervous and she could tell that the other two strangers were feeling the same – the boy was probably more surprised then nervous. The Pokéball kept moving around frenetically, before, and for everyone's relief, it stopped.

Blanca sighed – a smile on her face. She couldn't help but to think that, that had been the easiest capture she had ever witnessed. She moved forward to pick up her Pokéball. She looked nervously at the two strangers, when the man started clapping.

"Bravo! Very well observed missy," he spanked the back of the boy's head, yet again. "See what she did there? Her trained eye saw that the Pokémon was weakened enough for her to capture. Now that is amazing!"

"_Not really…"_ Blanca thought to herself. It never occurred to her, that the wild Ralts was already weakened enough to be an easy capture. All she wanted to do was prevent the Psychic-Type from getting more injured.

Leaf cheered and rushed to Blanca, congratulating her for the capture of a new partner. Kuru, on the other hand, was still in awe with the sudden event. How reckless was of Blanca to just throw a Pokéball at a wild Pokémon? Lucky for her, it worked out on her favor. But that was exactly what it had been – _luck_ – and Kuru never relied on it too much. He was of a strong opinion that things would only happen with effort and patience, never based on luck or other such factor. He huffed, but walked over to Blanca in silence.

The man shook hands with Blanca against her will. Being this close, Blanca could observe that he was, indeed, handsome. Tall and well build. Dark hair carefully combed back and sporty clothes, his confidence was very perceptible too.

"You were very good young girl. May I ask your name?"

"Blanca…"

"Blanca, uh?" the man smiled, pushing the young boy forward. "This is Billie; he's a newcomer when it comes to Pokémon." He paused staring at Blanca. "Sorry for all of this, I was just starting to get nervous and somewhat angry with the fact that he couldn't capture such a weakened Ralts."

The boy then snapped. "Weakened? Did you see what that Ralts did to your Zigzagoon? You specifically told me that Ralts over here didn't know how to fight back, and were perfect for starters!"

The man nodded, his arms crossed and his mind in deep thought. "For every rule there's an exception. That Ralts was an exception."

This conversation got Blanca nervous. What kind of Ralts are they talking about? Was it strong? Was it a savage? Was it dangerous? The young teen couldn't help herself but to wonder if, in fact, she had been unlucky in capturing the Psychic-Type.

"Excuse me; is something wrong with the Ralts?"

The boy looked at her, with a face of rather intense dislike. "Are you kidding me? I don't even know if 'wrong' is the right word to describe what this Ralts is! She's completely insane! Stubborn, irritating, trucker mouth! The list goes on!"

The man silenced the boy with his hand around his mouth. "What he means is that he's not used to see Ralts of this area use Confusion. She's just on a higher level - nothing more."

The man was lying through his teeth. But Blanca didn't give much care, she would find out what was so wrong about her Ralts either way. That in mind and knowing that neither of the strangers would help her, she decided to keep heading for Petalburg.

"H-hey," the man said touching Blanca's shoulder. "Are you alright? I'm sorry if we look freaky to you, but we really don't behave this way in normal circumstances."

Blanca smiled. "Oh, no, there's nothing wrong with you…" the sweat drop on her head suggested otherwise, those two did freak her out in a way. "I just… have to get going! See you later!"

"_Bye-bye strangers!"_ shouted Leaf in her usual cheerfulness.

**X**

Petalburg was a nice city in Blanca's eyes. Technology had reached Petalburg too, but the city remained quite calm and friendly for what Blanca could tell. She first went for the local Pokémon center, where she left Ralts to be assisted by the nurse. The Nurse informed her, that it would take a while before Ralts could recover completely from her wounds. Blanca decided to go explore the city a bit while she waited; Leaf kind of pressed her to go outside.

Kuru was already inside his Pokéball; Blanca thought it would be easier to control only one Pokémon, not that Kuru was hard to keep an eye on; Leaf was the one that required as twice as the attention. Said Pokémon watched in amazement the city – first time she had ever seen and been on one that big. There were so many houses and the buildings were so tall, almost reaching the beautiful blue sky above. It all made her realize how much she missed from the world when living inside the laboratory.

"Here you go Leaf, try this." said Blanca.

Leaf watched in curiosity, as Blanca gave her something that she called 'ice-cream'. It was a strange cone, with something colorful in a shape of a ball on the top. There were two colors, one brown and another pink. Leaf first smelled and then, being pleased by the scent, took a big bite out of it.

"_Ouch, ouch, ouch!"_ Leaf shouted with the sudden headache.

Blanca giggled. "You don't eat ice-cream that fast Leaf! It'll cause you a brain freeze and pain, as you can feel. It's a quick heal, so don't worry."

It was true, the headache was gone. Leaf stared at the ice-cream and all she thought was of the great flavor it had. She ate the rest of the ice-cream in one bite – the brain freeze returning to her with twice the pain, making her yelp in ache. Blanca sweat dropped at this.

"You are quite the peculiar Pokémon, aren't you? Well, sight seeing is over. We now must make haste and head for the local gym, just like that boy told us." She paused and searched her brain for the boy's words. "Humm… Norman, wasn't it? I think he's the local gym leader. It can't be too far from here, let's get going Leaf."

"_A gym battle already?"_ Leaf talked to herself. _"But Blanca-chan hasn't used me in battle yet… I know! She's probably saved my energy, just so she could use me for this moment! That's it! Blanca-chan wait up!"_

**X**

Norman's gym was right around the corner and Blanca now stood in front of its doors. When she first heard of 'gym', she actually thought about a tall building with high technology surrounding it. Crowds of people making line to watch trainers challenge the gym leader and cheer for every fabulous move either the leader or the trainer could make. Also, maybe some cameras to report the matches and broadcast it all over Hoenn. But none of that was there; it was just Blanca and Leaf by her side.

But maybe it was better this way. Blanca was already feeling quite nervous without the cameras and such. She knocked on the wood door and waited for someone to answer. The gym itself could very well be the house of the leader. It was all made of wood and reminded Blanca of a dojo. Leaf herself was feeling butterflies in her stomach – no, the ice-cream had nothing to do with it – she was nervous. She knew she had to perform well if she wanted for Blanca to be proud of having her as her starter.

The door suddenly opened. A brunette woman was the one who attended Blanca.

"Oh, good day. May I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Blanca Kimura and I came to challenge the gym leader. Is he around?"

The woman smiled. "Yes he is. He's on the arena right now with another boy, but I'm sure you can enter. Please, go right behind me."

Blanca picked up Leaf and followed the woman. She seemed nice and appeared to be a calm lady. It took the two about five minutes or less to reach the said arena. Just like Blanca had predicted, it resembled a dojo. All made of wood, from the roof to the floor. The arena was only differenced by rectangular white lines.

"Norman, this young girl wishes to challenge you. Are you busy?"

The man looked at the woman when he heard the challenge. Blanca couldn't believe who he was.

"H-hey!" she shouted pointing at the man. "You're that guy from just now! What are you doing here?"

The man laughed when he saw Blanca also. "Well what a coincidence! Ha-ha, I guess I should've predicted you would come here eventually. I haven't quite introduced myself yet, right Blanca? I'm Norman, leader of Petalburg's gym."

Norman smiled at Blanca's confused and surprised expression. She did the same face when she also recognized the boy standing behind him. Billie, was it? A moment of silence took place on the gym, until Norman broke it.

"So, you came to challenge me?"

"Uh?" asked Blanca, lost.

"You came to challenge Norman, did you not honey?" explained the woman.

"Oh, yes! Yes, I came for that… So, can we do it now?"

Norman smirked and walked over to an end on the gym. He then nodded at Billie and the boy went for the sides, getting a hold on two flags – one red, the other green. Blanca knew what that meant. The challenge was on. She walked to her side of the arena, putting Leaf back on the floor.

"Alright, on my left I have Blanca… from…" Billie stared at Blanca, confused. "What's your full name and where are you from?"

Blanca sighed. "Blanca Kimura from Littleroot Town…"

"Gotcha." he coughed, adjusting his voice. "This match will be held by the challenger Blanca Kimura from Littleroot Town against the gym leader Norman. Only one Pokémon can be used, so choose wisely. Ready? Go!"

"Go, Kuru!"

"_Kuru? ..."_

Leaf couldn't believe her eyes and ears. Blanca had chosen Kuru over her. The fierce hound was unleashed on the battle arena, his eyes narrowed down to intimidate whoever his foe could be.

Norman called his Pokémon next. "Come on out, Vigoroth!"

Norman's Pokémon looked a lot more powerful then Kuru. He was three times the puppy's size and a lot more intimidating. Sharp claws attached to his long white fury arms. His temper didn't seem all that good either. Blanca swallowed hard at this; she knew it wouldn't be easy. But it had to be done.

"Kuru, Tackle!"

"Let's start this easily: dodge it and use Scratch for now."

The Pokémon went for each other. Blanca couldn't loose focus for a moment, there was too much at risk on that battle. However, if she were to pay more attention, she would see that not all was right around her. Leaf stood still, a few feet away from her trainer.

"_Blanca-chan chose Kuru… Does she think I'm weak too?"_

_

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_

**A/N:** Thank you to Bobandbill for helping me out with this. He's great! Also, Ralt's profile won't be up until I post next chapter - which might take a while. However, I may write a bit faster if... I get some reviews?


	5. Mind Fusion

**A/N:** Another day, another chapter. I actually like this one, especially the part with Ralts and Blanca… Oh no! Spoiler!

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

* * *

**.: No defeat truly defeats one who was born to win :.**

In this world, there are many kinds of spirit combinations: Strong; weak; ominous; luminous; wounded; healed; concealed; cheerful - among many others. These combinations are what a person is made of. Spirits can not be seen, but can reveal themselves for others. When you are angry, your spirit is angry. When you are sad, your spirit is hurt as well. Just like our eyes, we are connected to our spirits in a very deep way – even though we never see each other.

This also happens among Pokémon. It's what makes them run. It's what makes them fight. It's what makes them who they are and reveal their true nature…

"Kuru, get out of the way!" Blanca shouted in desperation.

Kuru, hardly, dodged a Scratch attack from his opponent Vigoroth. He was fast and brutal with those bulky arms of his. Norman was a very good leader; his commands were precise and well thought out. Neither he nor Vigoroth had broken a sweat yet.

Blanca on the other hand, had been struggling to think of ways to knock out the giant gorilla. Kuru was strong, but not that strong. He was starting to feel very tired too. But the battle had to go on.

"Kuru, Howl and then charge for a Tackle!"

The Howl boosted Kuru's confidence and his strength. He glared at Vigoroth charging immediately for the Tackle and struck the gorilla head on. Vigoroth fell back a bit dazed, but got up on his two legs quickly. His white fury body then started glowing with a strange golden yellow that made Blanca shiver a bit.

Norman smiled. "I will give credit to you and your Poochyena. You both did wonderfully to resist all this time… but I'm afraid it must come to an end. Vigoroth, use Fury Swipes!"

The Vigoroth's arms rolled around, so fast, that all that could be seen were his grey claws charging at Kuru like knives. Blanca's heart could almost stop at the image. Kuru's life was in danger! What Vigoroth had just used was Focus Energy and if Blanca wasn't mistaken, it could power up his next move. There was no way she would let Kuru get hurt.

"Norman, I forfe…"

Blanca was cut off by a snarl from Kuru. He eyed her in a very serious way and Blanca said no more.

The Vigoroth was closer to Kuru and his arms wildly stroke Kuru. Or so it would seem that way. Kuru was dodging the incoming claws! His speed was unbelievable and his fighting will was great. Kuru was doing well dodging the fury Swipes, but his tiredness soon got the best of him and his body slowed down. That was Vigoroth's opening. His left arm hit Kuru straight in the face, slashing him across the arena. The dark dog hit the wooden floor a few times before collapsing to a state of pure exhaustion – he couldn't get up.

The boy raised a green flag at Norman and shouted: "Petalburg's gym leader Norman is the winner of this battle!"

Blanca rushed for Kuru's aid immediately. She kneeled next to her Pokémon worried, very worried. There was blood on the floor coming from Kuru's forehead.

"Kuru! Kuru say something!"

Norman returned Vigoroth and walked to Blanca. He observed her Pokémon and calmed her down.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. He's just tired and that cut can be easily healed if you take him to the Pokémon center right away."

Blanca suddenly glared at Norman – deadly crimson eyes staring at him, it caused a chill up his spine. For a second, Blanca had the look of a vengeful killer; he could almost swear there was an image of a burning city deep in her eyes. Blanca shook her head, feeling a slight headache afterwards. When her eyes reopened, they were innocent and bright once again.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

Norman took two steps away from Blanca – what in the world had just happened there? Did he imagine it? He must've, no way would that girl Blanca possess such a demoniac stare. He stepped away and returned to Blanca with a bottle on his hands. He kneeled next to the injured Poochyena and sprayed his wound.

"This is a potion," he explained. "It won't heal him completely, but it will help."

"Thank you, Norman." replied Blanca.

The boy, Billie, who had been the jury for that battle, also approached Blanca and her injured Pokémon. Leaf came closer too, she wasn't used to see blood and seeing Kuru in such a situation made her tremble.

"Don't worry, no rookie ever managed to defeat Norman." Billie cheered; at least that's what he was trying to do. "That's why they first battle for other badges in order to get stronger and then they return here and challenge Norman once again."

Norman finished spraying Kuru and eyed the boy suspiciously. "And you know this how?"

Billie smirked. "There's a thing called TV, Internet and newspaper genius. You're all over the place! By now, everyone knows everything about you. That you moved in from Johto, all the Pokémon you possess, your family…"

"That's enough thank you," Said Norman, slightly irritated.

Blanca returned Kuru to his Pokéball and was walked outside the gym by Norman alone. It was still very early and the sun continued shinning above them with strength. Blanca thanked Norman for the match, but he had a few last words to say to her.

"You know, I actually enjoyed that battle. Your Pokémon has a lot of guts and fighting spirit, I must say I'm impressed. With some more training, I can't help but to have the feeling he'll grow to become one of your main powerhouses!"

"Thank you Norman," smiled Blanca. "I'm sure Kuru will be glad to know that. I'll train hard to return and challenge you again. When that time comes, I can guarantee you I'll be the winner!" she assured in a semi-laugh.

Norman laughed. "Such confidence, I expect no less. Oh, before you go." The gym leader took three bottles of the same 'potion' stuff he called earlier and handed them to Blanca. "If any of your Pokémon gets injured in the wild, give them this and they'll be fine."

Blanca looked up at Norman. He was such a kind man that one couldn't help but to like him, even if he had just beaten you up rather easily. He was helpful and generous. He smiled all the time and was very strong – at least he had a lot of inner strength.

"Well, I really thank you for your help Norman, but I should get going," said the boy.

Norman raised an eyebrow at this. "So you're satisfied with your Pokémon?"

"Yes sir!" he exclaimed. His cheery voice revealed that he was being honest. "Couldn't ask for a better one. Thank you for helping me capture it. Now, I can finally start my journey."

This surprised Blanca in more ways then one. "Capture? Start your journey? You're not a trainer already?"

"Now I am," he replied. "Let's just say I got a little late when it came to getting a starter… I didn't feel like waiting a whole year, so I asked Norman if he could help me capture a Pokémon."

"He was so desperate," preceded Norman. "He entered my gym on his knees, begging me to give him a Pokémon."

"That's not true!" he protested.

Blanca and Norman laughed. Billie's face steady grew a beet red, as he tried to ignore those two. But it was time to go, for both teens actually. Billie went to start his journey and Blanca had to rush for the Pokémon center.

**X**

It was two o'clock according to the clock hanging on the wall in front of a female Ralts that had just opened her eyes. A Chansey took her body temperature and gave her some food, which she couldn't resist eating. She remembered perfectly what had happened to her: First she gets into a fight with a Poochyena for trying to get some food from a tree that the stupid dog declared was his, next, a wannabe trainer attacked her in the desperate bid to get a Pokémon for his journey and to worsen things up, she gets double crossed by yet another trainer! A girl this time. The second Human managed to capture her, and now, there she was, laying inside a bed surrounded by white boring walls and a weird black devise in front of her that kept showing strange images.

"_Great."_ the Ralts thought to herself. "_What am I supposed to do now? Should I stay with this girl or try to escape?"_

She debated her poor selection of choices and wondered what would be best for her. On one hand, she didn't know anything about this girl; she also wasn't the type to be bossed around and hated meaningless battles. On the other hand, trainers usually took good care of their Pokémon and that involved a lot of food, the idea of always having her stomach filled pleased her mind – she was starting to get tired of always struggling just to get one berry out of a tree.

At that point, the door opened. The Ralts eyes flew that direction and she saw her master enter. The pink haired girl peeked inside and then smiled closing the door behind her.

"Hello! Are you awake?"

The Ralts rolled her eyes. _"What'd you think? I like to sleep with my eyes opened?"_

Blanca sat at the end of the bed. There was a moment of silence between the two. Ralts turned her head at Blanca, not looking at her, while Blanca watched the beige floor as her legs swung back and forth.

"I don't know if you'll mind, but I came up with this really cool name for you and…"

"_Don't even think about it,"_ objected the Ralts before Blanca could finish her sentence.

This surprised Blanca, but for a short period. "How did you… oh, right. You're a psychic Pokémon; you can telepathically talk to Humans."

"_You want a medal for figuring that out?"_

Blanca got speechless. She didn't know how to reply to those indirect insults and obvious sarcasm. But she remained calm, after all, that Ralts had gone through a lot. Best was to give her some time.

"So, do you prefer just to be called Ralts?"

"_I already have a name,"_ she said dryly.

"Really? Can you tell me?" asked Blanca nicely.

The Ralts glared at her with one eye. It was hard to see her face with that green 'helmet' thing, but Blanca could see some evil sparkle in her eyes. The psychic Pokémon then smirked and replied with one of the simplest answers known in the world.

"_No."_

Blanca began feeling a bit uncomfortable around that Ralts. The words 'attitude problem' came to her mind. It all started making sense, so that's what Billie was trying to say. But maybe Blanca was being too harsh on the Ralts, the way she was captured and what she suffered were more then enough motives to be angry with the whole world. It could be just a phase, best was not to take such early judgements.

"My name is Blanca."

"_If you're expecting me to tell you my name just because its 'nice' then you might as well sit and wait."_

"I'm already sitting," said Blanca in a smart tone.

The Ralts definitely got disturbed by this. She turned her face again and groaned. A few more seconds of silence followed before the Ralts started making a few questions.

"_Who the hell are your other Pokémon? I only saw that flea bag Poochyena."_

"That's Kuru," answered Blanca emphasizing her Poochyena's name. "I have another one, it's a Chikorita named Leaf. You'll like them both. That is…" she paused looking at the Ralts serious. "If you wish to stay with me, I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to."

This actually surprised Ralts. Blanca's response wasn't what she was expecting. From what she had seen, most trainers didn't hesitate to capture Pokémon, they didn't care if they were mere babies that still needed their mother's protection, they didn't care if the Pokémon had family or not, if it wished to remain free or even if it desired to travel with the trainer. Trainers didn't care about these aspects from what she had seen. So it was interesting to see an exception to the rule.

"_So, it's up to me to decide? What if I choose not to stay with you?"_

"I'll let you go," Blanca replied simply.

The Ralts smirked. There was no way that girl was telling the truth. She was aware that her species was quite rare. Not even newbie trainers would let such a rare Pokémon like herself get away that easily. She lied. That girl had to be lying even if she was very good at it, her face expressed honesty but Ralts knew that Humans were tricky. There was only one place where they couldn't lie – inside themselves.

The female Ralts closed her eyes and began to concentrate. At first it would seem she was thinking, but in fact, she was using an attack on Blanca. Not a harmful attack, but a rather useful one – Mind Reader. No one could lie to themselves and Ralts wanted the truth out of Blanca. What were her real intensions? Her goals, dreams, hopes? All of that, she wanted to know.

Getting inside Blanca's head proved to be quite difficult, normally this was an easy thing to do. It was like her mind had magical barriers all around it. It took some more effort, but the Ralts managed to enter Blanca's mind. Once inside, the Ralts found out that her mind wasn't like the one of other Humans or Pokémon. It felt like being in the middle of a fog, nothing was clear. Something else got the Ralts attention – why were seals on her mind? There were two seals, both powerful and virtually impossible to break. Who was this girl?

The Ralts persisted and tried entering further. It was hard, but there were a few things she could find. The girl spoke the truth, her intentions were good. The Ralts could've stopped there since she already had her answer; however, that girl's mind was far too intriguing to leave so soon. She dug deeper into Blanca's head and found out about her other three siblings – Claude, Yuki & Kiki. But where were her parents? Why weren't they on the surface of her mind? The Ralts, frustrated, tried to go further into the trainer's mind. But it was hard, very hard and it was getting worse. The fog gathered around her in a blink of an eye and it was denser. She was swallowed in darkness and the last thing she heard was a melodic voice echo in her head: _Only he who sees the future, the unseen shall unveil._

"_It's not supposed to be like this!"_ yelled the Ralts at herself in a thought. _"Who is this girl?"_

The Ralts broke the connection. She was breathing hard from the recent trial she had just undergone.

"Ralts!" Blanca's voice came. "What happened to you? You don't look well."

"_I'm joining your team!"_ she declared, her breathing still irregular.

This caught Blanca off guard. She felt both happy and confused. But she wasn't as confused as the Ralts, that was for sure. Blanca had intrigued the Ralts in many various ways. She now had a lot of questions to make, but she knew Blanca couldn't answer them – for she herself was unaware of all those things inside her mind. Such a strange girl, Ralts had to know more about her. For some reason, she felt she needed to do that. If that meant joining her team, then so be it.

"_I only have a few rules for you."_

Blanca smiled – now that sounded more like the Ralts she just met. She was starting to feel rather peculiar about her wanting to join her team with such a rush.

"_I don't want to travel inside that idiotic sphere you call 'Pokéball', got it?"_

"Crystal."

The Ralts crossed her arms. _"Also, never in your miserable life consider sending me to useless battles."_

"What do you mean by that?" asked Blanca, raising an eyebrow.

"_It means, only use me on good matches. Like against a powerful trainer or Pokémon, gym battles and, if you make it, on the League. Got it, or should I make you a drawing?"_

Blanca sighed. Quite the demanding and rude little fellow.

"_By the way, where are my 'team mates'?"_ asked the Ralts looking around.

"I was on a recent gym battle with Norman and one of my Pokémon got hurt in the process…" Refreshing that moment didn't particularly trill Blanca, it caused her a deep pain in the chest. "Kuru, my Poochyena was the one hurt."

"_Ah, the flea bag?"_ the Ralts smirked. _"Norman is quite the fighter; I know that because I have witnessed some of his trainings in the wild. He's out of your league for now. Guess you learned that the hard way huh?"_

Blanca closed her fists. She knew very well that Kuru was hurt because of her, how she had underestimated a gym leader and Kuru was the one to pay the price for her negligence. Now, she wasn't sure that she could call herself a trainer.

**X**

Kuru laid in a white bed with his eyes and upper head covered in a white silk. It was part of his healing treatment; he had one really bad scratch that started on his forehead and ended near his left eye. He still felt some pain and swallowing, but he was feeling a lot better now despite the fact that he couldn't see.

Leaf rested at his side – he could still smell her. Blanca had left the room not two minutes ago and now he was alone with the hyper grass Pokémon. Hearing Kuru moan, Leaf jumped up cheerfully.

"_Kuru-chan! You're awake! Blanca-chan was so worried about you."_

Kuru got up and sat. He tried not to move his head a lot for it hurt.

"_I know that… I can also tell that she feels guilty about my wound."_

Leaf made an 'ah' sound. _"Does she? And how do you feel about that? Blanca-chan isn't to be blamed, she only thought you were strong enough to face Norman and…"_

"_Leaf I know that."_ Kuru cut her off. _"I'm not blaming her for anything. This kind of stuff happens, hell, I had similar injuries in the wild."_

Leaf smiled, it was good to know that Kuru wouldn't hold a grudge against Blanca. After all, he was her powerhouse, right?

"_But Blanca isn't the one I'm really worried about here."_ he paused. _"It's you I'm worried about kiddo."_

"_Me?"_ wondered Leaf, pointing at herself.

Kuru laughed inwardly. _"Yeah, you. Don't think I haven't noticed that you still haven't participated in any battles. This may cause you some confusion, but I think I know why Blanca doesn't want to use you."_

"_Because I'm weak…" _she whispered.

"_Maybe so, but that's not what I think Blanca is worried about. I think that she wants to protect you."_

Those words caught Leaf's attention. So Kuru had a different view of things. But what could he know about it? He was constantly out there while she had to play the background and wear her voice out from cheering so much.

"_You're still quite young and your small body makes you look fragile. Blanca likes you, no question about it, but she fears that you'll get hurt in battle and wants to protect you from that at all costs. Even preventing you from battling,"_ he smiled. _"Do you understand Leaf? If you act a bit more mature, then maybe Blanca will give you a chance and she'll use you on battle."_

Leaf stood speechless for a few seconds. She wasn't childish, she was just hyperactive – ok, so maybe that made her look childish. But still, she wasn't going to change who she was just because she desired to show her skills. No, she wasn't going to do that. Blanca would have to trust her enough to send her into battle. Leaf smiled at Kuru, even though he couldn't see her.

"_I understand,"_ she lied.

She would always be at Blanca's side and do her best at any situation. She knew inside her hearth, that Blanca would learn to trust her abilities and someday, let her prove herself as a Pokémon. She had to believe in that.


	6. Friendship Bonds

**A/N:** Hello all my lovely readers. Sorry for the delay, but I've been really busy with exams… which some of them could've gone better but that's another story. Hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

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**.: The Past is the key to the Present :.**

As the hours passed by, Blanca's Pokémon managed to heal better. Ralts, Blanca's brand-new Pokémon just needed some rest and food to recover her strength. Kuru… well, Kuru wasn't that lucky. The Poochyena was left with a nasty scar that went from his forehead to the corner of his left eye. Blanca was thankful that the scratch hadn't reached Kuru's eye, otherwise he could've gone blind and if that were to happen… then Blanca would never forgive herself.

Nurse Joy showed Blanca an available room, where Blanca could stay and rest for the day. The young trainer was very pleased to sleep in a bed and be able to take a shower – she really needed one. When night came, Blanca went to her bed – Leaf resting at her side and Kuru at her feet, which felt very good for he warmed her. As for the Ralts, she didn't go to sleep, not yet.

The clock struck mid-night and all were sleeping peacefully. If it weren't for the vague lights on the main hall of the Pokémon center, anyone could tell that the place was as peaceful as a beach in winter. Yes, it was all silent and dark – Perfect to make a move.

Ralts climbed up to Blanca's bed and slowly walked over to the girl. She stopped a few times for she could hear Kuru sniffing, but she figured he was dreaming. Step by step, Ralts got close enough to Blanca. The Pokémon observed the young trainer quite critically. There was no mistaking that she possessed a strange aura. The question was: 'Who was she?'

Ralts sighed and began her Mind Reading process. Once again, there were some sort of barriers that held her back from entering Blanca's mind, but these first barriers were weak and she soon managed to, once again, penetrate her trainer's mind.

"_This place gives me the creeps… and that's not an easy thing to do!"_ she complained.

There she was, once again inside Blanca's mind. The fog hazed her vision and all the darkness surrounding her turned that little trip into a true nightmare. Ralts strolled around, not knowing where she was going, but she was bound to find something. Time was an uncertain thing on that place and the Ralts didn't know how long she had been there nor did she know if she had even moved.

"_I heard a voice the first time I was here… I'm sure of it."_

She didn't find the voice but she did encounter something else- two doors.

Now, this was very strange and was something she had never seen before. So Blanca had a locked mind. Most Humans and Pokémons had their door open and it was easy to learn about their past lives that way. But Blanca was different, not only did she have two doors, but they were both locked and covered in a strange lavender aura.

Ralts approached one of the doors and halt before it. The aura was a seal that prevented her from opening the door. What could have happened to this girl for her not wanting to know her past? Ralts reached for the aura, but as soon as her tinny arm touched it, she immediately retrieved it with a burn.

"_Damn it!"_ she shouted.

That was not supposed to have happened, it was virtually impossible! Ralts wasn't even there, how could she have felt pain? She was still outside, using her Mind Read on Blanca. That was just a projection of her image – an illusion, nothing more. So, how come she felt the burn?

"_You're giving me more trouble then I thought…" _

Stubbornly, she reached out for the door again, but something made her stop. The door began to open on its own! Ralts grinned, now she could find the truth about Blanca. As the door slowly opened, Ralts felt heat coming right from it. It was almost as if the place was ablaze. She could hear screams and panic, lights flashed here and there and then… The door started to close again.

"_No! What the?"_

A buzzing sound echoed everywhere. The fog dissipated and the door slammed shut. Ralts was taken back to her body.

**X**

Ralts eyes flew open, her hands shaking from the effort she had submitted herself into. She was breathing heavily, her breathing laboured. There was an alarm clock at Blanca's side and Ralts joined the peaces of the puzzle and concluded the clock was the thing that closed the door again. With anger, she picked and tossed the clock against a wall, crashing the devise into multiple pieces.

"_Stupid, stupid object! You ruined the whole thing!"_ she growled to herself.

"_You ok?"_ asked Leaf, who woke up in a startle.

"_Bug off, weed; it's none of your business."_

Kuru snarled under his breath, but closed his eyes again and ignored Ralts. Meanwhile, Blanca twitched and began breathing heavily. She began to sweat a lot and her body suddenly felt like fire.

"_Blanca-chan?"_ worried Leaf. She only needed to take one look at Blanca to realize that something was wrong with her trainer. _"Blanca-chan is not ok! Kuru, she needs help!"_

"_Gotcha kid"_ he replied jumping out of bed.

The Poochyena and the Chikorita left the room, most likely to get Nurse Joy. Ralts stood behind trying to realize why Blanca presented such status condition. Could she have caught a cold? If she had, then she would've start manifesting some signs earlier the day. No, it had to be something else… could she be reacting to the fact that she had penetrated her mind? But why hadn't she done that the first time she entered? Could it be because she now stayed a longer time inside? It was the most plausible explanation she had.

Nurse Joy arrived, several minutes later. Apparently, Leaf got lost in the corridors and Kuru was forced to waste time looking for her. But thankfully, Blanca wasn't very ill according to the Nurse's prognostic. All she needed was rest and the fever should go down with the help of a medicine the Nurse gave her. Kuru and Leaf sat at Blanca's side, waiting for her to wake up as they wondered what could possibly have happened for her to end up like that.

Ralts sat at a nearby couch, not once she pronounced a word to her companions. She knew, far too well that it was morally incorrect to wonder inside peoples minds and she knew it could be dangerous. But this was the first time she had actually witnessed such consequence of Mind Reader. True that it had also been the first time that she had spent hours inside another's head, but she had to admit, she felt afraid.

Mind Reader was a technique that her species didn't naturally learn; she liked to think she was special for being born with that ability. She was also aware that this move was rare among other Pokémon. Still, she was taught to wisely use her gift. Both people and Humans only have their minds for a Sanctuary, the only place where they can go and not be disturbed or have fear. The only place where they keep all their secrets, dreams, past and future.

She was told to only use the move to seek out the truth and never use it for selfish or evil gain. This made Ralts grin, true she had respected her parents rule most of the time, however, she was wiling to disobey them and do everything she could to learn about Blanca's past. She didn't know why, but she had to know. Besides, her parents weren't around anymore to boss her around. She could do whatever she wanted.

A couple of hours passed as Ralts grew bored of waiting for Blanca to wake up. Leaf had fallen asleep as well at her trainer's side, as Kuru seemed lost in thought. However, Ralts was sure he would occasionally give her hostile glares.

"Mmm… nh-wha?"

Blanca regained some conscience, her eyes finally starting to open. At first, it was all blur but, little by little, she regained her full vision. She recognized the room, as being the one she spent the night, right away. A smile appeared on Blanca's face when she saw her grass starter, sleeping like a baby at her side. She came to a sit up position, alerting her Pokémon that she had woken up.

"_You ok, Blanca?"_ asked Kuru, jumping to Blanca's bed.

"_Flea bag asked how you were feeling"_ translated Ralts, receiving a snarl from Kuru.

Blanca giggled, petting Kuru's head tenderly. "I'm ok now, thanks for worrying." she paused, releasing a long sigh. "It was strange; I felt this terrible headache that appeared out of nowhere…"

Ralts looked away, trying to surpass a strange feeling of guilt.

**X**

Blanca left the Pokémon center little after she had woken up. She now felt like a brand new person, a person that couldn't wait to get back on her path.

The young trainer left Petalburg, looking back at the city one last time, knowing that she would return to get her rematch with Norman. She would focus in properly training her Pokémon and return to prove Norman how good she had become.

Blanca walked along the new route with all of her Pokémon outside their Pokéballs. Leaf cheerfully running from one side to another, admiring everything she could lay her eyes on, Kuru carefully keeping an eye on her, just in case. Ralts followed behind them, but a little distant from the group, for reasons only she knew.

"_Excuse me!"_ she angrily shouted.

The trio halt their pace, looking back at the infuriated Psychic Pokémon.

"_I can't walk as fast as the three of you, short legs!"_

A smile appeared on Kuru's face, now there was something he could use to mock his annoying companion, every time she would dare to call him 'flea bag'. Leaf laughed and ran up to Ralts.

"_Don't worry! You can always travel inside a Pokéball"_ suggested Leaf.

Ralts appeared to get even more annoyed. _"No thanks weed, you travel inside a small dark place in a strange digitalized form if you want."_

Leaf sat on the grass, trying to think of other options. _"Then… just gather up lots of energy and run after us! It'll put you in shape!"_

Ralts got even whiter. Did Leaf just call her fat?

"_Why you little…"_

"You can travel on one of my shoulders if you want" said Blanca, kneeling near Ralts.

Ralts actually put a thought in that suggestion. It wasn't all that bad if you think about it. It didn't evolve spending energy, it provided a good view and since she was so near Blanca's mind…

"_Why not."_

Ralts got to Blanca's left shoulder, sitting. Blanca smiled and kept walking. Soon the foursome reached a place with a wonderful view over a beach. Leaf went ballistic for seeing the ocean, it was something she had always dreamt of seeing and now she had a chance to actually feel it! Lucky, Blanca felt like relaxing a bit on that beach and went down some stairs that lead to the sandy ground.

Leaf started rolling on the sand, always happy and cheerful. It annoyed Ralts how a Pokémon could be that happy. Blanca looked up at the blue sky, narrowing her eyes at the intense light. It was perfect for them to spend a couple of hours on the beach; it would also be good for her Pokémon.

"Excuse me, Miss" came a voice.

Blanca whirled around to spot a boy. He wore a pair of jeans with a clean white shirt and sneakers, a typical outfit for beginners. His blue cap was turned backwards to make him look, somewhat, cool.

"Yes?" replied Blanca.

"I was wondering if you would like to have a battle with me. I can see you have Pokémon with you."

"_You'd be suffering a severe case of blindness if you couldn't figure that out…"_ commented Ralts, with evident sarcasm in her voice.

"Ssh!" shushed Blanca. Leaf and Kuru stood next to their trainer, waiting for her to decide. "Well, I don't see why not!"

"Awesome! Then let's get started." the boy took a Pokéball from one of his pockets and launched the device forward. "Let's go, Seedot!"

The Pokéball revealed a small dark green Pokémon that kept loyal to his name, for it resembled a seed. Leaf sat on the sand, knowing that Kuru was the one who would be picked for that battle. Upon seeing this, the Poochyena caught Blanca's attention for this situation. Blanca noticed Leaf sitting, almost as if she was certain she wouldn't be participating in the battle. This made Blanca think; maybe she was offending Leaf by wanting to protect her and not let her properly grow and improve her skills in battle. Well, it was true, she didn't want Leaf to get hurt, but she understood that she was the only one actually hurting her Pokémon.

"Leaf, get ready to dazzle, because you're in!"

There was a moment of absolute silence, Leaf seemed perplexed. She thought Blanca had just called her name, but that couldn't be. Leaf remained seated, staring to the horizon.

"Leaf?" wondered Blanca.

Ralts snapped. _"Get moving you annoying weed! You want your opponent to attack first?"_

"_I'm battling?"_ questioned Leaf, some confusion still present.

"_You sure are kiddo!"_ said Kuru, pushing Leaf forward. _"Now get out there and show us what you got."_

"_I'm in! Yay!"_

Ralts slammed herself as Leaf ran to the improvised battle field. She felt so happy but she knew this was her chance to prove herself as a Pokémon. She couldn't blow it. Blanca smiled and started the battle.

"Ok Leaf, let's start with a Tackle!"

Leaf aimed and charged. The Chikorita was quite faster then Seedot, making her moves hard to avoid. Leaf's body slammed against Seedot, sending the acorn Pokémon flying a few feet away. The sand softened his fall, but it was still a direct hit of which Seedot felt very well. His trainer groaned.

"Not bad, let's see what else you've got!"

Now this surprised Blanca. Wasn't he going to retaliate? This decision of letting Leaf attack next, made Blanca a bit unsure of what to do. Ralts knew what the trainer was planning and she didn't need to use Mind Reader to figure it out. She obviously didn't plan in charring her knowledge with Blanca, not that she meant to be mean, but she thought it would be best if Blanca were to figure out by herself.

Blanca pointed forward. "Leaf, let's show him your Razor Leaf! Go!"

Leaf narrowed her eyes, she then swung her head leaf and launched multiple mini spinning sharp leafs towards Seedot. The opposing Pokémon just stood there and literally waited to be hit. Razor Leaf was another successful hit. Seedot seemed to have felt some more pain to this last one, despite it not being very effective, though, by the way it was launched, it could have been a critical-hit.

Blanca was still confused. Was he going to let her attack again? What was the point in all of that? Blanca soon got her answer when the boy smiled and the smile turned into laughter.

"How clueless can you be? This attack is so obvious, Seedot, unleash your Bide."

Blanca inhaled a good amount of air in surprise. Bide, an attack that makes the user powerless and lets him endure damaging attacks to later retaliate with double the power. Blanca should've seen that coming; Bide is the very first move that a Seedot learned before learning any other.

Seedot's eyes glowed bright red, his body unleashed a beam of white energy directly at Leaf, who couldn't do anything to avoid the incoming attack. Bide successfully struck her.

Blanca shout in worry for Leaf as the Chikorita got hit with the move. For a couple of seconds, no one could see the Grass Type Pokémon, only hear her aggressive shouts. Sand had lifted up, when it slowly began to descend back to its place; they could see Leaf's shadow. Leaf had survived the impact.

"_She used Growl to lower the attack… Not bad, weed"_ commented Ralts.

A great weight was lifted from Blanca's shoulders as she got relieved for seeing Leaf still able to battle. "Good going Leaf! Now, go for a Tackle!"

"_Ready or not, here I come!"_ she shouted in a war cry.

All her running around the places made Leaf somewhat faster then an average Chikorita. Even in sand her speed was incredible; there was no hope for Seedot to avoid the incoming attack. All his trainer could do was call for a defence.

"Seedot, use Harden!" he commanded.

Seedot's body glowed, his defence had received a boost as Leaf was about to find out. The Chikorita slammed against Seedot, but the sound was more like a bang then a normal hit. Leaf took a few steps back, her eyes spinning from the impact.

"_Ouch…"_

Seedot's body felt like a rock, no wonder Leaf had injured herself. Seedot's trainer laughed, thinking he already had won the battle. Leaf shook her head, getting back to her senses.

"Leaf, he only raised his physical defence. We can still get him with Razor Leaf!"

Both the trainer and the Seedot flinched, apparently they hadn't thought about that. Leaf smiled and rolled her head leaf around. A storm of swirling sharp leaves were aimed at the acorn Pokémon, the leaves passed trough Seedot, injuring him greatly. When the attack came to an end, Seedot fell unconscious. Leaf had won.

Leaf jumped up and down, happier then she normally was. Leaf ran up to her trainer that received her in a hug, Blanca was also happy for her Pokémon. The other trainer, however, wasn't very pleased. He returned Seedot and unleashed another Pokémon. This one was a tinny bird, dark blue feathers with some white on the bottom - A Taillow.

"I'm not done yet, you still have to defeat my amazing Taillow!" he said.

Blanca nodded. "Leaf, you rest now ok? Kuru, you're taking this one."

The Poochyena ran forward, ready to take on the new opponent. Blanca was about to call the first attack, but the other trainer was faster then her.

"Taillow, use Peck!"

"Dodge it, Kuru!" she retaliated.

Kuru started running around the beach, but the thing about Flying Pokémon is that their moves are hard to avoid. Taillow pecked Kuru over and over again, until Kuru suddenly halted and Taillow kept flying forward. Taillow, however, took a mid turn in the air and flew back at Kuru, ready to hit him with some more Pecks.

Kuru waited for Taillow to get closer, the smirk on his face made him look confident. He had a plan. Taillow kept flying towards Kuru, not knowing what the Dark Type Pokémon had in store for him. When Taillow reached the right distance, Kuru unleashed a Sand-attack. The sand directly hit Taillow, causing the bird to scream with some of the sand in the eyes. A Howl was then heard in the middle of the sand storm, it was then that Kuru jumped, critically hitting Taillow with a Tackle.

Taillow was launched a few feet back, hitting the sand. He tried to get up, but he had no energy left to do so. Kuru smiled with, yet, another victory.

The trainer returned his Taillow back to the Pokéball. "Wow, that Poochyena is amazing!" the trainer approached Blanca and extended a hand at her. "That was a great battle. You're pretty strong."

Blanca slightly blushed. "Thank you. You're also very good. You have great Pokémon with you."

"Yeah, I only like rare Pokémon. It took me a long time to find these two, but it was worth it! Well, I better get going. I'm now searching for Marill! It's a very rare Pokémon too. See ya!"

Blanca waved a good-bye; it was always interesting to see so many different trainers with different personalities and goals.

**X**

Blanca draped lazily in the sand, basking in the sun. Leaf bathe in the salty water, her giggles were well heard. Kuru took a nap near the water, letting the gentle ocean waves refresh him every once in a while. Ralts sat near Blanca, her constant complains starting to annoy the normally calm girl.

"_I'm sweating. All of this heat is starting to fry my brain; I have sand all over me! This was a bad idea."_

"Just go to the water…" suggested Blanca.

"_Oh sure, and when the water evaporates, my skin will be covered in salt and will be dry instead of soft. I'm not going to ruin my completion, you know?"_ she replied, crossing her arms.

Blanca sighed. "You're always complaining, aren't you? You know life's too short to always being complaining and never be satisfied. You should really learn to enjoy simple things and live each day to the fullest. Take Leaf for example, she's always happy, she enjoys life and I don't think she hates anybody at any level. If she makes a mistake, she'll try her best the next time. I'm not saying for you to be like her, but to learn something from her. I'm sure you'll be much happier if you learn to appreciate simple things and learn to love others."

Blanca got up and went for Leaf, who apparently was getting lost at sea. Ralts stood there, in the sand, actually thinking about what Blanca said to her.

A couple of hours later, Blanca packed up and left the beach with Kuru and Leaf at her side and Ralts on her shoulder. The four walked in silence along the beach, Leaf having fun leaving her footprints in the sand.

"_Eikou…"_ whispered Ralts.

"Sorry?" wondered Blanca.

Ralts sighed. _"Eikou, my name is Eikou."_

Blanca smiled tenderly and said no more.

* * *

**A/N:.** I find the ending quite sweet. What do you think? Leave reviews!


	7. Discovery

**A/N:** Hello everyone, I'm so very sorry for letting months go by without an update. To compensate, I made this chapter quite big. I hope you enjoy and do forgive me for this delay :)

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

* * *

**.:Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this, that you are dreadfully like other people:.**

There was a refreshing breeze in the air. The sea was gently leaping at shore. Wingulls flew above sea in search for food, releasing their cry in pleasure. There were some trainers walking on the route, some battled while others captured Pokémon. But none noticed what Blanca Kimura saw with her Pokémon.

There was an old cottage near a bridge. The door was opened and there was a boat near the crossing. It seemed like an ordinary wood cottage, with nothing that would get one's attention. But this one drew Blanca towards it for a different reason.

A window was cracked; the door was opened in a way that suggested someone left in a hurry. This was enough to make Blanca approach the place; she peeked inside and got the confirmation of what her instincts first suspected. Someone had indeed left in a hurry. There were two chairs knocked to the ground and little signs of recent agitation.

Eikou, her recently acquired Ralts, frowned. "_Why are you here again?"_ she asked, impatient.

Blanca took one last glance inside and went back to her path.

"I just had a strange feeling about that place," she answered, eyes focused on the path. "I'm not sure how to explain to you what I saw. It was just a flash."

"_A flash of what?"_ though Eikou. Before Blanca was drawn to that old cottage, everything was normal. They were walking peacefully on the road, all of Blanca's Pokémon walking beside her admiring the view and Blanca doing nothing more then stride forward at a comfortable pace. It was then that it happened - Blanca suddenly came to a stop. Her eyes were lost in trance for seconds before her head turned toward the old cottage. Without explaining her motives, she called Leaf and Kuru to follow her there. _"I wonder…" _she murmured.

"You wonder what?" questioned Blanca.

Eikou came out of her thought. She quickly looked around, searching for something to use as an excuse. Her eyes met what she wanted.

"_I wonder how much money you'll give me, when I defeat that Pokémon over there."_

Eikou pointed, to a Pokémon that resembled a Furret. His long body was of a beige color with horizontal brown stripes; the Pokémon rested near his trainer while licking his paw clean, not being shy to show his sharp claws. His trainer also didn't appear to even attempt to be modest in showing how healthy he was as well. He wore a dark green suit that made Blanca sweat just by looking at it, blonde hair neatly combed to the right side, white teeth and a perceptive cocky attitude.

"You wanna battle that Linoone?" asked Blanca, a little worried. "You're not serious, are you?"

Eikou smirked. _"Does it look like I'm joking here? Yes, I want to battle that Linoone. Go ask the trainer for a battle."_

Kuru raised an eye brow at Eikou. Surely she couldn't be serious, there was no way a Pokémon like her could defeat a Pokémon at Linoone's level. Kuru also enjoyed strong opponents that provided him a challenge, but he wouldn't battle when even he knew he didn't stand a chance. It was what happened with him against Norman's Vigoroth. He lost due to the level difference between them.

Even Blanca remembered Kuru's loss to Vigoroth and the consequences of such battle. As a trainer, she couldn't allow her Pokémon to injure themselves when that could be avoided.

"No," her voice was firm.

It took a second for Eikou to absorb that word. _"Excuse me? Are you denying me a battle?"_

"I am. You're not going to get yourself hurt, just because you want to prove something." She paused, to regain some air. "No," she repeated.

Eikou frowned; she never presented a pleasant look, but she now possessed a very unfriendly stare. It even gave Leaf the shivers.

"_I'm not very fond of Humans, but one of the reasons I decided to join your team was because you actually seemed like a person who valued her word,"_ said Eikou, her voice serious and low.

Blanca blinked, trying to look into Eikou's eyes. "What do you mean?"

Eikou crossed her arms and proceeded, her voice still serious and low. _"When I decided to join your team, I also stated a few conditions. One of them was to only battle strong Pokémon. You agreed to my conditions, I expected you to keep your word."_

This time, Blanca had to agree with Eikou. Blanca did give her word that she would respect her Pokémon's requests. Even if at the moment she felt like breaking that deal, Eikou had trusted her and that was a start to try and understand her peculiar Ralts.

Blanca sighed, giving in to Eikou's request. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'll go ask him."

A bit against her will, Blanca approached the trainer. She felt embarrassed when she got close enough and caught the trainer's attention. He eyed her suspiciously before asking.

"May I help you?"

Blanca blushed; it was the first time she asked someone to battle. It was quite an intimidating moment.

"H-hello, my name is Blanca Kimura and I was wondering if you would like to battle my Ralts over here." She pointed at Eikou, who smirked devilishly.

The trainer and his Linoone stared at Eikou for a while. Linoone looked rather dull gazing at Eikou; it was as if he was saying 'are you kidding me?' The trainer made a face and turned to Blanca.

"Sorry, you seem to be just a newbie. I wouldn't mind battling your Ralts if I didn't have more experience. It just wouldn't be fair."

"Ok," said Blanca, pleased. She whirled around and received a hard look from Eikou; she sighed and faced the trainer again. "Look, I promise you'll have a great match. My Ralts is very strong! _Apparently."_ she thought lastly.

The trainer and his Linoone looked at each other and nodded. The trainer then saluted her with a smile.

"Very well, if you say so then I accept. I'm Ritchie."

"Nice to meet you Ritchie, should we start then?"

"Very well," he grinned. "Just don't feel bad when I defeat you."

Both trainers took their respective places, giving enough space for their Pokémon to battle. Linoone was the first one to come forward, his body language revealing all the confidence he possessed. Eikou stepped forward as well, she too felt secure but Blanca didn't feel the same way as her.

"You sure you wanna do this? He looks so strong…"

Eikou sighed heavily. _"Will you stop worrying? It's almost as if you think I'm a little weakling that can't defend herself. Stay back and watch,"_ she ordered lastly.

Linoone eyed Eikou with a smirk. _"You don't stand a chance; I'll crush you before you can even come up with a strategy."_

Eikou frowned. _"Bite me."_

"_I will."_

Ritchie tossed his blonde hair back, revealing a very cocky expression. He adjusted his suit tie pointing a hand forward next. "Alright, let's do this. Linoone, start things with a Quick Attack!"

Linoone unleashed a war cry and rushed forward. His body soon moved like a shadow in a zigzag way, it was hard to keep up with his movement. Eikou didn't move; she just stood there with her eyes closed, almost as if she was waiting to be hit. Linoone approached at great speed, ready to send Eikou flying away. But as he was about to hit her, she moved. Linoone crushed into the ground, sliding a few feet due to his velocity.

"_How the Hell did you do that, you worm?"_ he hissed, irritated.

Eikou kept her eyes closed, refusing an answer. Linoone got up to his feet and charged in for a Tackle. Eikou suddenly opened her eyes, revealing a lavender color in them. Linoone was levitated in the air right in front of Eikou, with her mind; she tossed Linoone into a nearby tree. The Pokémon slammed and fell, making his trainer gasp.

"I see you were telling the truth about your Ralts being strong. Very well, no more playing around with children, this is serious now," his smirk was once again revealed, as he planned a strategy in his mind. "Linoone, combine Slash with Cut!"

Linoone roared and charged at Eikou at an absurd speed. It all happened so fast, but at the same time, so slowly. Linoone raised his sharp claws towards Eikou, as the little Ralts closed her eyes in a moment of focus. Eikou could almost feel her opponent touch her when a blinding light suddenly engulfed both her and Linoone. As the light faded away, Eikou stood victorious with Linoone collapsed in front of her.

**X**

Blanca and her Pokémon entered Petalburg Forest – the dark, dangerous, maze-like Petalburg Forest. Blanca didn't feel safe in there, so she retrieved both Leaf and Kuru to their Pokéballs. Eikou did not enter thanks to her agreement with Blanca. The two walked in silence, until Blanca decided to break it by commenting.

"I still can't believe you pulled that one out…" whispered Blanca, remembering the battle with Ritchie's Linoone.

"_I told you I could beat him,"_ she replied proudly.

There was cockiness in Eikou's voice, something not very surprising. She did, after all, defeat a much stronger Pokémon with just a psychic attack. It was a strange match; it was as if Eikou knew exactly what her opponent was thinking, like she could predict every move Linoone was about to execute. As much as Blanca wished to question Eikou, she decided not to.

The forest was deep and presented an ominous feeling. Even Eikou had some back chills every now and then. The two walked far into the forest, battling a few local Pokémon and some trainers who had a thing for bugs. Eikou hadn't enjoyed battling such weak Pokémon, but it did distract her from the monotony of that woodland.

Blanca was unsure of how long they had been inside the forest, but by her stomach's rumble, it had been a couple of hours.

"You hungry?" she asked.

Eikou nodded, placing both her arms around her stomach. All that fighting she did had fuelled her hunger. Blanca found a nice spot underneath a tree and placed her bag there. She released both Leaf and Kuru and began searching for some food inside the handbag.

As Blanca rummaged around her bag, she found a couple of sandwiches wrapped in colorful paper. She couldn't remember making those, which could only mean Yuki and Kiki were the ones who placed them inside. Blanca smiled, feeling a sudden heart ache. She hadn't realized how much she already missed them.

Blanca and her Pokémon sat and began eating their short meal, picnic style. Leaf quickly ate her food and began walking around the place, under the eye of Blanca and Kuru. It didn't take long for her to attract a couple of local Pokémon such as Shromish. She talked and played with them as Blanca watched in joy. Leaf was cheerful and friendly, one easy to make friends with. However, the more Blanca watched, the more she understood the problem behind that situation. Leaf trusted others far too much and that could be dangerous for her. Blanca would have to give Leaf some proper training to allow her starter to defend herself.

Blanca opened a bottle of water, taking a dip from it next. It was all silent around her, if she didn't count Leaf's constant running. All was good and they were the only ones in that area, that was, until an unknown presence touched Blanca's right shoulder.

"Ayah!" she shrieked, spiting most of the water out.

Kuru stood up in attack position, growling furiously at the strange presence. Blanca quickly stepped away, whirling around to see what had just attacked her. Her heart seemed to have calmed down a little when she saw a man wearing a green suit that had seen better days. The man was leaning against the tree, breathing heavily.

"Please…" he whispered.

Blanca picked up Leaf in her arms, feeling somewhat threatened by the man. Kuru kept growling, barking every now and then. Eikou narrowed her eyes at the Human, trying to see beyond the obvious. She doubted the man would attack any of them, for he was the one who looked like he had been attacked by a herd of Taurus or something similar.

Blanca held her breath and took about three steps towards the stranger. She leaned her head to the right, whispering. "Umm… are you ok, Sir?"

The man called Blanca over with his hand and after much thought, Blanca decided to approach him. Kuru kept a close watch as Blanca walked closer to the man in the overused suit. Blanca approached her ear next to the man, after realizing he was about to tell her something.

His voice was low and almost painful "Please… I'm hungry!"

In a comical manga style, they would've collapsed to the ground after hearing those words. But that was real life and they all reacted in different ways. Like Eikou slamming herself in the head and Kuru feeling confused as ever. Blanca sweat dropped making a 'eh?' sound.

Blanca allowed the man to sit on a tin table cloth she used for her 'picnic'. She also gave the man two of her sandwiches, which she later found out were the last ones she had. They all stared as the man literally devoured Blanca's home meal, making them pity him a little. How long had he placed something in his stomach?

"Thank you, you are the kindest person I've ever met!" he shouted, drawing Blanca into a tight hug.

A feeling of uncertainty came over Blanca, her crimson eyes blinking in awe. The man released her and coughed, excusing himself. He then smiled and shook hands with Blanca.

"My name is Dan Oswald. A member of Devon Corporation!" he introduced with proud.

"Blanca Kimura, nice to meet you." Blanca then let go of Dan's hand, to introduce the rest of her team. "This Chikorita in my lap is Leaf. That Poochyena is called Kuru and that's Eikou my Ralts. I'm a Pokémon trainer."

The man, who introduced himself as Dan, chocked on the last bite of Blanca's sandwich and began to cough violently. Blanca gave him a few pounds on the back, until Dan got himself together again.

"Are you a Pokémon trainer who's heading towards Rustboro City?" he asked, with a strange excitement in his voice.

Blanca looked at her Pokémon, noticing both Eikou and Kuru glaring in Dan's direction in a very strange way. It was as if they questioned his mental sanity. That was a plausible question, for Dan looked like he had been living in that forest for quite some time and that could be the reason for his instability and hunger. In the end, Blanca limited herself to just nod, confirming what Dan stated.

Dan reached a dark brown brief-case and held it against his chest tightly, like his life depended on it. He then bowed over the brief-case and begged. "Please, can you escort me out of this forest?"

If Blanca was confused before, then Dan had just managed to confuse her even more. Leaf's head leaf whirled around in a helicopter style as Dan explained himself.

"Like I said, I work for Devon Corporation. I'm not a Pokémon trainer and have no Pokémon with me. I was looking for a Pokémon named Shroomish, but they're quite hard to find even in their natural habitat."

"Really? There were three of those Pokémon right here not ten minutes ago," said Blanca.

Dan's eyes expressed surprise and anger at the same time. He crossed his arms sulked, making him look like an overgrown child. "Yeah, well… I couldn't find them! Anyways, I've been trying to get out of this forest for quite some time now. I've been here for maybe two or three days." Blanca's eyes went wide with the revelation, as Dan smiled. "I've been attacked by a couple of local Pokémon as well and let's just say some of the trainers I've asked for help aren't as nice as you. So, I really want to ask you, will you help me get out of here?"

Blanca leaned her head to her left, in the direction that Eikou was. "What do you think?" she whispered.

Eikou sighed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. _"He's so pathetic, you can't help but to pity him… let's take him out of here. He'll start bathing in mud if he stays here another day."_

Blanca tried to hide a snigger, when looking back at Dan. "Sure. I'll help you find the way out."

Dan's happiness surpassed Leaf's cheerfulness at that moment. He got a hold of both Blanca's hands and shook them, thanking her over and over again. Blanca picked up her stuff and placed them inside her bag. Once she made sure everything was clean and put together, she re-started her forest crossing.

This time, Leaf travelled in Blanca's arms and Kuru at her side. Eikou stood at her usual spot in Blanca's shoulder. The Ralts drove her attention away from the boring conversation Dan and Blanca were having – actually, Dan was the only one talking, Blanca just listened. As she looked to her right, she noticed Kuru walking in a focused way. She grinned, thinking of something to provoke the dark-type.

"_Careful, your brain might just fry, fleabag."_

Kuru did not hear Eikou and kept walking, his face expressing some deep thinking. Eikou snapped her fingers, but after seeing that didn't take Kuru out of his trance moment, she chose her effective method.

"_Oi!"_ she shouted.

Kuru's ears went up and he blinked. After a quick search, he noticed Eikou waving at him from Blanca's shoulder. He rolled his eyes, walking on a heavier pace.

"_What?"_ he asked annoyed.

"_What're you thinking about? You look really tense."_

Kuru walked in silence for a while, before answering. _"… It's nothing…"_

_"Ah, the 'nothing' answer."_ she laughed. _"You have to do better than that. Especially since your concern is about Blanca."_

Kuru raised his head in surprise, resting his eyes on Eikou who kept her usual cocky smirk. _"How did you? ... Is it that obvious?"_

Of course it wasn't. Eikou would've never found out if it weren't for her Mind Reader ability, just like she wouldn't have won her battle against Linoone if she didn't have this gift. It was her most powerful tool and she would never reveal such a great gift.

"_Yes, it's that obvious."_

Kuru sighed, pointing at Dan with his head. _"It's about this other Human."_

"_What about him?"_ she questioned, looking at Dan as well.

"_His story… there's something not right about it and my canine instinct tells me he's lying."_

Eikou frowned at Kuru's statement. Dan looked more like a homeless guy who lost his job then a liar. She doubted he'd be too good at lying and if he did lie to them, she would've noticed it right away. That was when Eikou suddenly realized something. She never used her Mind Reader ability on Dan. He appeared to be so desperate and harmless that she forgot to check his mind to seek the truth. Now, she did not know if Kuru could be right or not.

"_Why do you say he lies?" _she asked back at Kuru.

"_There's no real foundation behind the story he told us. And he says he's been in Petalburg forest for two days or more. Don't you think that by now he should've found the way out? Millions of trainers pass through this forest and not one of them ever got lost."_

"_That is true,"_ she commented, placing a hand under her chin. _"Trainers usually take this forest in the morning and are out by the end of the day. In rare occasions, they camp in here but they leave the very next day. Still, this isn't an easy forest to go through."_

"_Three days to cross a forest?"_ Kuru howled back. _"Please, the path is very easy to follow and there are constant trainers passing through. I don't buy his story about asking other people for help and not getting any. Nobody's that stupid, to not be able to cross this forest."_

"_Oohoo! Wanna bet?"_ she laughed, pointing at Dan. _"Something tells me he is! Don't worry; I'm sure you're overreacting."_

"_I hope you're right…"_

Eikou adjusted herself in Blanca's shoulder, peeking at Dan from behind Blanca's head; he was still talking and gesturing a lot with his hands. He smiled as he talked and overall, seemed in a very good mood. Eikou noticed his left hand, held the brief-case very tightly; she wondered what could be inside. Eikou wished she could use Mind Reader, but Dan was too far from where she was; she really hoped Kuru was wrong about his gut feeling.

The group walked for about an hour more, when the end of the forest presented itself before them. Blanca announced they were almost out and to Eikou's surprise, she found Dan unease. The man had begun to sweat and his face presented terrible worry. His walking had become irregular just as his breathing. As they stood meters away from the exit, Dan came to a stop.

"Maybe we should go back… I don't feel so good," he said, passing a sleeve on his forehead to remove most of the sweat.

Blanca held her pace as well, turning to the nervous Dan. "What's wrong? We're so close already. You'll get to go home very soon."

Dan looked everywhere but at Blanca. He scratched the back of his head and his following words came filled with guilt. "You see… I wasn't a hundred percent honest with you back there…"

"_I knew it!"_ shouted Kuru.

Blanca remained surprisingly calm. In a way that caused Eikou to wonder if she already knew something was wrong about Dan.

Dan began explaining himself. "I'm actually hiding from somebody. I don't know who he is, but he attacked me and wanted to steal my brief-case. Out of desperation I came running into Petalburg forest and found protection in here. I've been hiding all this time to see if he would go away, but I'm tired of running away and…"

"You little rascal!" someone yelled.

Blanca felt a gloved hand push her to the side and storm right into Dan. It was a man wearing an all purple outfit, with only black boots and gloves to distinguish from the monotony of the color. His hair was short and black, his fringe spiky. Blanca could not see the color of his eyes, but his voice possessed deep anger and frustration.

"You had to hide in Petalburg woods forever, didn't you? Do you know how much trouble you've given me? Hand over that brief-case, you pathetic creature!"

The man moved towards Dan, who kneeled trying to conceal the brief-case with his body. Dan received a kick on the sides by the strange man, rolling to the side and exposing himself. The man kicked him again, but this time out of frustration and evil payback. He reached his arm to grab the case, but received a bite.

The man screamed in pain, trying to release himself from the bite source. It was Kuru who clenched his teeth against the Human flesh and he made no intentions of letting go. The man screamed and violently shook his arm, until Kuru lost his balance and let go. The man got a hold of his injured hand, pressuring it with the other one. Blanca saw the man's vivid brown eyes when he turned to her and Kuru standing in front.

"You twerp!" he howled. "How dare you? You just messed with the wrong person on the wrong day! I'm gonna rip you apart!"

On that particular moment, Blanca did believe his words. The man seemed possessed with rage and with absolutely no control over his actions. For what Blanca could understand, he had been waiting for Dan as long as Dan had been hiding in that forest.

"Go away, or I'll order my Poochyena to attack you again," she calmly said.

Eikou wondered why Blanca decided to still help Dan after knowing that he had just admit to lie to her. How could she know that Dan hadn't made up another story, by telling there was someone after him? However, looking at the current situation, she would find Dan's word more credible then the raging man standing in front of them.

The man laughed, halting the pressure he made on his injured right hand. Blanca noticed the hand was bleeding but the man didn't seem to care. He went to grab a device very similar to a Pokéball if it weren't for the color change. It was blue on top with some red stripes. The man held it with his bleeding hand and tossed it in front of Kuru.

A familiar white light came, giving shape and form to a yellow Pokémon. The Pokémon was brown from waist down and possessed a small elephant like nose. His eyes were small and almost hypnotizing. Blanca's Pokédex identified the Pokémon as being Drowzee.

"You just got yourself in one nasty fight. You'll regret the day you met me. Drowzee, attack!"

"Kuru, dodge it!" Blanca called back.

Drowzee threw his right arm at Kuru in a Pound attack. Kuru swiftly dodged to the right, tackling the psychic-type next. Drowzee managed to keep his balance and waited for Kuru to make a move. The Poochyena rushed for another Tackle, when Drowzee's eyes turned a bright blue. For some reason, Kuru's body refused to move and his attack failed to succeed. Drowzee took the chance to lift Kuru in the air with Confusion, throwing the dark dog violently at a three.

"Kuru!" Blanca shouted in worry.

Kuru's body trembled, but he stood up rather quickly. He still felt like certain parts of his body were no longer under his control and that was when he realized Drowzee had used the move Disable on him. Kuru Howled, increasing his attack power.

"I'm impressed. Not bad for a beginner," commented the man.

Blanca started feeling frustration building up inside her, with the man's sarcasm. "You go away!" she found herself shouting. "You had no right to steal the Brief Case from this man! Just who are you?"

Blanca heard the man snigger and saw him smirk. Dan only crawled to Blanca's side, covering himself behind the young teen.

"I'm a member of Team Manna! Hear it well, for it will be the last time you'll ever see one of us! Drowzee, counterattack with Shadow Ball!"

"Kuru, Sand-attack!"

Blanca had a sudden feeling of Déjà-vou, but she couldn't remember where she saw something so similar to what was currently happening. Drowzee formed a blob of darkness between his hands and shot it right at Kuru. The Poochyena exposed his teeth and summoned sand towards his opponent and the incoming ball. Blanca and her Pokémon watched as the sand engulfed Drowzee's attack and the Pokémon himself. Aside from the sand storm, Blanca and the others heard a painful sound. Agony came over Blanca, fearing the worse. The sand subsided and everyone watched Kuru, bringing Drowzee down to his knees with a Bite attack around his right arm. One thing Blanca had learned was that dark attacks were effective against psychic-types.

"No way, you worm!" the man growled.

"Great job, Kuru! End this with another Bite!"

The wind suddenly changed its course, bringing now an ominous feeling to the scenario. Blanca felt the unsteady rush of leaves and bushes. That feeling… those threes, the place she was… she had seen all of it before… in a dream…

"I'm sorry, if we survive this I promise to reward you greatly! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" apologized Dan, resting his brief-case on the grass.

Blanca stared back, looking down at the brief-case and ignoring Dan's constant apologies. The way the case was placed was exactly the way it was in her dream. There was no doubt in her mind, Blanca has been there before and everything was going according to her dream. If everything was that accurate, then she knew what was coming next - right now.

"Get back!" she shouted, tackling Dan and grabbing the case.

A figure emerged from the bushes and by an inch or so, missed the brief-case. Blanca rushed to a stand up position, leaving Dan semi-unconscious with the hard tackle she gave him. She held the brief-case just as Dan had before and looked at her attacker who seemed very surprised and confused.

He was a boy, around her age maybe. Light brown hair with darker layers, ear length and straight. His bangs covered part of his sky blue eyes and he wore a long beige rain coat with pants of the same color. The rest Blanca paid no attention, for the boy spoke.

"How did you hear me coming? It's impossible for a mere Human to have heard me. Not even the Pokémon felt my presence…"

"264!" shouted the man.

Kuru defeated his opponent and rushed back to Blanca, growling at the new stranger. Too many of those had appeared that day and he didn't like it. All thanks to Dan apparently.

The young boy had an expression of rather intense dislike when his eyes met the Manna member. "You still around? I'm surprised Team Manna didn't kick you out after your incompetence."

The boy began taking off a dark brown glove that covered his right hand, as the Manna member shouted back. "You insignificant mutant! You're another one who caused me trouble! I'll send you all to Hell!" The man was about to shout a command, when he realized his Pokémon had already been taken out. "Damn it!"

Blanca fell on her knees, with the brief-case and Leaf in her arms. Eikou and Kuru in front of her and Dan behind, moaning in pain. Blanca's eyes seemed to tremble, it all happened just like in her dream, but she prevented the strange boy from getting the case. In a way, she changed her dream and that scared her, but not as much as what was about to happen.

The boy placed his glove in his coat pocket, revealing sharp claws in the place of regular nails. He showed a serious face, when he stared down at Blanca and her Pokémon.

"Don't take this personally. You're just in the way," he said, in a chilling tone.

The boy jumped with grace towards Blanca, his arm raised above his head, ready to slash down anyone who would get in his way. Blanca closed her eyes, hugging Leaf closer to her chest. A tear went down her face as she deeply wished for everyone's safety. The boy's arm began descending towards Blanca, his main target, when she and everyone around her were surrounded in blinding lavender light. Their bodies began to turn blur and when the boy's claws came down, they were already gone.

Silence filled the clearing, neither the boy nor the Manna member spoke, their minds in a state of confusion. The boy rose up, his deep blue eyes fixed in the place Blanca stood not a second ago.

"Where'd she go?"

* * *

**A/N:** I know a cliffhanger... submit a review and I promise to write the next chapter faster! Aren't I evil?


	8. Forgotten Dreams & Forgotten Trust

**A/N: **Finally, it's done! This was a very interesting chapter to write and fun as well. The plot revealed itself a little on the previous chapter, but I decided to take things slower and turned this into a 'filler chapter'. I hope you like reading as much as I enjoyed writing!

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

* * *

**.:Get the facts, or the facts will get you. And when you get them, get them right, or they will get you wrong:.**

_The sky was dark and grim, with huge gray clouds hovering above the setting sun. A cold breeze haunted the field, sending shivers down Blanca's spine. The s__ea, however, was beautiful, despite agitated, and though she was safely far from the place where the wave crashed, there was still a lot of noise and the air was chilling - the wind blew strongly, and it almost seemed someone was crying in the distance._

_It was a very melodic cry; peaceful and hypnotizing, a pleasant contrast with the waves sound and the ominous sky. It kept coming from the sea, that cry, which sounded more familiar the longer Blanca heard. Barefooted, she walked inside the ocean, wind blowing her long hair aimlessly._

_Her foot felt the salty water and the moment it did, the water broke in half, waves lifting an absurd height at Blanca's sides creating a path in front of her. The melodic sound felt closer and more intense. Blanca began to follow the sound source, stepping inside the passageway._

_Ma__ny water-types swum at her side, as a Gyarados leapt from one water wall to another. Blanca ignored them all, continuing to stride forward. The closer she got to the sound source, the better she could hear it – it was music. Stones stood before her eyes in a form of a shrine, the music came from it._

_The shrine wasn't very tall, but Blanca couldn't quite reach it with her height. It resembled a rock shaped egg, hovering three feet above her. A green aura surrounded the oval form with broad chains that whirled around and kept it from hovering away. Unexpectedly, the ground shook like an earthquake, stones raising from the wet sand and generating a flight of steps up to the shrine. Blanca watched the event with no expression on her face; when it was over and felt safe,__ she stepped forward and began to go up._

_The shrine was deteriorated by the ocean, but it kept its item safe. There was some sort of force field on the top of the Shrine and in it, a music box played. It was a burgundy coloured music box, simple, but it possessed such a wonderful sound. Blanca reached out her hands, which simply went through the barrier and took the music box. She closed her eyes, listening to the music, feeling comfortable by doing so._

_Blanca stared at the box in her hands with a serene expre__ssion. Feeling curious, her hand reached to open it._

_A__s her hands slowly opened the box, she noted a bright orange colour shinning inside. Blanca felt a sense of unease and shivered, when the beautiful melody began to fade away, being replaced by a more disturbing sound. Blanca fully opened the box, her eyes watched in horror the bright orange mixed with a vivid red._

_There were people inside, running and screaming in a village consumed by fire. Houses burned to the ground, surrounded by shrieks and panic. The villagers ran for their lives, but there was nowhere safe to run too. Slowly, they noticed Blanca watching from above. One by one, they formed a group in front of Blanca. One man came forward, pointing directly at her._

"_You caused this… You are the reason of why we suffer."_

_Blanca blinked, looking down with compassion. "How?" she asked. "How could I have done this to you?"_

"_One who sees the future, the past it can change. You could help us, yet you choose not to," the man paused, shouting next. "You are responsible for our suffering! Dammed be the day you were born!"_

_Blanca held her breath at such harsh words. She could not understand the anger of those people towards her; she did not know them. Blanca heard protests to her as well as a few more insults. She noticed the villagers' eyes turn bright red and before she knew it, she was being drawn inside the box._

"_No, stop!" she screamed. "I don't wanna go!"_

"_One who sees the future, the past it can change. You could have helped us, yet you chose not to. And now… you'll suffer with us!"_

_The box went ablaze at the final words. Blanca felt herself surrounded in heat, the box still opened and pulling her inside. There were screams and sounds of panic… the more Blanca approached, the louder the sounds grew... She felt the pain and suffering those people had endured, as the box finally closed with her trapped inside for all eternity…_

**X**

"Stop it, please!"

"Hold still, honey!"

Blanca felt two hands pull her back, no; there were four hands and another two that placed something cold on her forehead. She felt as if her body was burning, and her breathing was heavy and difficult. She heard someone murmur something about fever, but her head felt so heavy that she couldn't even open her eyes.

Surprisingly, Blanca sensed her body's heat go down in the first couple of seconds. Her breathing returned to normal and the haze she felt inside her head dissipated as well. She felt the pressure those hands had on her shoulders lift with some hesitation.

"Natalie… Look at the thermometer. Her fever is just dropping!"

"Amazing…"

Groggily, Blanca opened her eyes. Things were a bit blurry and she felt her head spinning around. Slowly, as her vision cleared and her mind eased, she was able to see three girls surrounding her. Blanca also became aware that she was in bed, where she got herself into a sit up position.

"Where am I…?" she asked, placing a hand on her head, feeling dizzy.

"_Blanca-chan!"_

Leaf leaped into Blanca's bed, tackling her trainer in the chest to be embraced by Blanca's arms. It appeared Leaf was very worried about her trainer and was relieved to see her finally wake up.

Blanca took Leaf in her arms, looking up at the three girls around her. Some time went by until she was able to repeat her earlier question. The youngest looking girl volunteered to answer.

"You're in a Flower shop, our Flower shop! We are located between Petalburg Forest and Rustboro city," she smiled, "I'm Nicole."

"Petalburg Forest…" Blanca whispered.

Sudden images haunted her head, bringing back memories of the event that occurred in the dark forest. Her meeting up with a man named Dan with an odd brief-case. An eccentric man proclaiming to be part of a group called 'Manna' and a very strange boy who tried to kill her.

The last thing Blanca could remember was the blue eyed boy about to cut her in half, and after that, she had blanked out.

Blanca noticed Dan with the corner of her eye; he was sitting at a small round table drinking something Blanca presumed to be coffee or tea. He looked very calm considering the events, his brief-case rested on a chair near him.

Kuru was near Blanca's bed, sitting at her side like a protective dog. Eikou was a bit further away; she was on a blue coloured couch watching television and eating Poké-snacks. Her gripes towards the TV were all Blanca could hear.

A woman with shoulder length blue hair approached Blanca to natter. "We found both you and that…" she paused, looking at Dan and his overused suit. "Gentlemen," she said unenthusiastically, "Just outside Petalburg Forest. We brought you inside our shop and here you are!" the young woman rested a hand above her chest. "I am Rita."

"And I go by the name of Natalie!" said one with short greenish hair.

Blanca smiled at such sympathy. "I'm Blanca Kimura; it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for helping me and Dan; we had some trouble back at the Forest."

_Don't take this personally. You're just in the way…_

Blanca shivered when the boy's voice came to her as her mind remembered the so called 'trouble'. Blanca couldn't remember the last time she ever felt so confused. No, she did remember. It was a long time ago.

Blanca was around the age of five; she faintly remembered herself crying in her mother's lap – her hand gently stroking her hair and saying 'everything is going to be alright'. Blanca continued to cry, shouting between sobs 'fire, fire everywhere! Houses burning, streets burning, trees burning, people… people… people screaming!' Nightmares had haunted Blanca for as long as she could remember. They used to repeat themselves night after night, bringing fear upon the little girl. Blanca had been sent to many psychiatrists, but none could tell why those nightmares were so frequent. Over time, Blanca learned to control her dreams by awaking two to three times every night. That way, she would never dream and experience those nightmares again.

Blanca sat up and scooted over a little so she could draw her legs up and wrap her arms around them. Although she didn't understand her dreams, they were nothing compared with the event that took place in Petalburg Forest. But not even Dan, the Manna member or the peculiar looking boy were as strange as the fact that Blanca had predicted all of that in one of her dreams.

It didn't end the way she dreamed, only because Blanca interfered. Dan would've lost his brief-case otherwise. Blanca's eyes went wide when she realized that this was the second time she experienced something so strange.

It happened back at Littleroot Town when she and Lisa were mere children. It was winter, and the two of them were playing outside with the snow. They both ran around without paying attention to where they went and before they knew it, they were lost – their hometown out of sight. Feeling frightened, both held hands and began searching their way back by following their footprints in the snow. There was a river nearby that had frozen with the low temperatures, but it was covered in snow and hard to distinguish from all the white that surrounded it. The night before, Blanca dreamed Lisa had broken the fragile ice that had formed above the river and fell inside, after insisting she recognized that path as a shortcut. The underneath currents dragged her without mercy, with no holes for Lisa to surface for air.

The feeling had been pretty much the same – a déjà vou kind of feeling. Once Blanca realized the danger her friend was in, she rushed and grabbed Lisa's arm the moment her foot broke the thin ice. Lisa screamed as Blanca quickly pulled her out, before the current even got the chance to take her. At the time, Blanca had wondered about the event, but she was little and didn't give much thought about it.

"You must be hungry, honey," said Rita, breaking Blanca's thoughts. "We have great pies for you to eat, so why don't you go join your friend for breakfast?"

Blanca whirled her head towards a window at the mention of 'breakfast'. For some reason, she still hadn't realised she had skipped dinner. Blanca drew a gentle smile towards the three girls, rising up and walking towards the round table where Dan was.

Dan seemed a bit different to Blanca. His dark green suit still looked like a fashion disaster, but there was a brighter look in him. Blanca quickly realised what it was when she came to sit in front of him – he had taken a shower.

"Greetings, Dan," she said, quite calmly but sarcastically.

Dan swallowed hard at Blanca's scorn. Not that he could blame Blanca for being upset with him; he did manipulate her. A feeling of guilt crossed Dan's body as he stared in the eyes of the girl who saved him.

"I can explain…" he said, placing his cup on the table.

"I'm listening," she replied in the same tone as before.

Dan searched for the right words in his mind as Blanca took a bite from a berry pie that Rita placed in front of her. She never liked desserts much, but she had to admit that pie was really good. Leaf and Kuru stepped away from Blanca and Dan, going where Eikou was. The three shop owners went back to their routine, leaving their guests comfortable. There was a time when Nicole tried to hear Dan and Blanca's conversation, but Natalie pulled her away.

"This brief-case contains some very important documents for the company I work with," explained Dan. "I was arriving at Rustboro City when that Manna member, or whatever he is, ambushed me and tried to steal my brief-case. Out of desperation, I rushed to get away from him and ended up in Petalburg Woods where I finally lost him." Dan sighed. "You know the rest…"

Blanca chose the silent treatment on Dan. She could tell it made him feel uncomfortable; by the way he looked around hoping for her to say something. She kept herself quiet as she analysed Dan's story; it was the same as the second one he told her back at Petalburg Woods. Blanca didn't think Dan was lying, not this time at least.

"Then why didn't you tell me the truth from the beginning?" she asked.

Dan shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't think you'd help me that way… I'm not saying that my actions were correct, I did put you in danger, but I was desperate."

"_I can't believe you're actually talking to this creep!"_

Blanca stared down to her left side, to see her Ralts quite upset with her arms crossed - a mischievous look on her face. Blanca took another bite of the berry pie Rita offered her and mentally replied:

"_I need some answers from him."_

Eikou frowned. _"What makes you think he's going to give them to you? Not to mention he could lie again. You want answers? Let me tell you who got us all out of that mess: me!" _she pointed at herself.

Blanca was surprised by the revelation and raised an eyebrow. _"How so?"_

Eikou couldn't help herself but to reveal a cocky smirk. _"Maybe battling all those pathetic trainers at the forest wasn't so bad after all. My fight with Linoone helped a lot, but my skills only improved in Petalburg Forest," _the little Ralts giggled, amused by her own greatness, _"I teleported us away from that place."_

Blanca dully stared at Eikou; she surely was a confident Ralts with a massive ego. Blanca had noticed, for quite a while now, that Eikou thought of herself superior to others. Her overconfidence made her arrogant and she was rather unpleasant to others, including Blanca's Pokémon. There wasn't much Blanca knew about Eikou's past that could've made her that way. To be truthful, Blanca knew nothing about her Ralts.

"_So, you've mastered a new trick,"_ she said, looking away from Eikou. _"Then thank you for saving us."_

Eikou blushed, being evaded by a sudden fury. _"I did not save you!"_ she angrily pointed. _"I was saving myself, you just happened to be there. Don't think for a second I would ever help any of you idiots!"_

Eikou stormed away, going back to the dark blue coloured couch where she sulked. Blanca took another bite from the pie, ignoring her Ralts' attitude. She took a paper napkin and cleaned her mouth, facing Dan once again.

"Do you have any idea why they want that brief-case so badly?"

Dan shrugged his shoulders. "It contains some important papers inside, but I don't see their interest. All I know is that I have to get back to Rustboro City and present them to the president of my company."

At this, Blanca nodded. "Then let's go."

She rose from the table, going to pick up her bag. She quickly arranged things and placed the bag on her shoulders, adjusting it to her back. While doing so, she noticed Dan oddly staring at her.

"Something wrong?"

"It's just…" he paused, for quite some time, "It sounded like you said 'we'. Like we were both going to Rustboro."

"Yes, and?"

Blanca's response surprised Dan. "I know you're heading there, but why are you still willing to stay with me?"

Blanca blinked, walking past Dan and leaning over the couch where Eikou was. "I agreed to help you, didn't I? What kind of person would I be if I were to break my promise now? I'm taking you to Rustboro and, like you said; since I'm heading there anyways, it'll be no problem."

Dan never said a word after Blanca spoke, as the young trainer poked Eikou, getting her Ralts attention for them to leave. This time, Eikou refused to travel at Blanca's shoulder, not caring if she had a slow pace. Blanca, Dan and her Pokémon stood outside the flower shop, where they thanked the three lovely girls. Rita gave each of them some berry pie for them to eat on the way to Rustboro.

"I'll get fat if I eat too many of these," she joked. "But thank you."

"As long as you enjoy them, honey," said Rita, placing a hand above her forehead and looking up at the sky. The day was a bit cloudy, but it didn't threaten to turn into a rainy one. "You better get going if you want to reach Rustboro today."

A final farewell and Blanca was back to route 104, continuing her path towards Rustboro city. She and Dan were silent during the trip, as was Eikou, who followed a little behind them with her arms crossed. The silence didn't bother Kuru but it made Leaf quite uncomfortable. She didn't like it at all.

The petit Chikorita ran ahead of them. She had to explore that wide route and see as much as she could. She ran from one side and another, hearing Blanca shout something about her not to wander too far. Though Leaf heard her, she kept aimlessly running around and she did it until her head banged into something.

"_Ouch…"_ she whined.

"_Ouch yourself!"_ somebody scolded.

Leaf saw a Skitty whirl around and give her a hard glare. The cute cat gave Leaf a lecture but she didn't listen to a word. Instead, she blushed and ran back to Blanca murmuring 'I'm sorry' while fleeing.

Blanca and all the others were nearer then Leaf thought. She ran into her trainer's arms and buried her face in her chest. The Skitty growled something annoyed but that was when a couple of young kids with an Abra showed up.

The female, one with red hair separated in two pigtails, crouched near the Skitty. "What's wrong? Why are you shrieking like that?"

The Skitty repeated the event as Abra listened and transmitted the information to the tall boy next to him who spoke up to the girl.

"Abra says that girl's Chikorita bumped into her and ran away," he laughed. "Just the usual drama your Skitty likes to create."

The girl giggled as she rose up and faced Blanca's group. "Don't worry about it, Skitty just likes attention."

Hearing more of the young cat's shouts, Blanca raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit confused. She looked from Leaf to Skitty and couldn't avoid giggling.

"Leaf is a bit airheaded; she never meant to harm your Skitty."

The girl raised her right hand, like she was telling Blanca to stop. "No need to apologize, things like this happen."

There was a moment that Abra seemed to talk with his trainer the same way Blanca and Eikou used to talk with each other. There were nods here and there until the boy spoke up.

"Since we met in such a strange way, how about we battle?"

Blanca revealed a smile, but before she answered, she turned to Dan. "Mind waiting another couple of minutes?"

Dan shrugged his shoulders. "Do what you have to do."

Blanca nodded, facing the couple next. By now she was used to being challenged by other trainers; it was something they did and it was normal to be so direct about it. Many trainers had already popped out of bushes or from behind boulders and challenged her, so there really was no need for formal introductions. They were trainers; all they wanted was experience the adrenaline of a battle.

"But let's make things a bit more fun." said the boy. "I suggest we have a double battle."

"A double battle?" Blanca repeated. Evident confusion in her voice.

The girl unintentionally giggled, excusing herself afterwards. She gave Blanca such a bizarre stare, as if she actually though Blanca was joking with her question.

"A double battle is when two Pokémon are used," she explained. "In this case, you should use two while I and my friend use one each."

Blanca found herself blushing deeply – the fact was, she knew what it was but she had never tried it before. Blanca's crimson coloured eyes turned to Eikou; it only took her a second to understand her Ralts was still sulking. She had no choice but to go with Leaf and Kuru. Perhaps it was best that way; Eikou didn't seem like a team player it any shape or form.

Leaf jumped around in pure happiness as Kuru wondered if he would have to do all the work. He couldn't picture Leaf handling two Pokémon at the same time. She wasn't bad, but she surely wasn't an outstanding battler. She did ok with wild Pokémon, but he had seen her battle trainer's Pokémon and had not been impressed. The only losses Blanca had were when she used Leaf. He understood that it would be painful for Leaf to feel left out, but he thought that perhaps she needed some particular training before facing certain challenges.

Leaf finally stopped in her tracks and glanced over at her opponents. She had a feeling Skitty would be going after her and for some reason that was frightening. She gazed up at Kuru, her battle partner, and gave him a smile. Kuru responded by looking away, ignoring her. Leaf understood the message and looked down; she knew neither Eikou nor Kuru thought of her as a strong Pokémon and for that, they didn't exactly accept her for who she was.

"_I'm gonna show everyone what I can do!"_ she assured herself.

"Skitty, Fake Out!"

"_Huh?"_

Distracted by her own thoughts, Leaf raised her eyes to see the pink coloured cat strike her with a move she wasn't quite sure how it was performed. All she knew was that she tumbled backwards twice and felt her body numb, unable to move.

Paralyzed in such a strange way, Leaf panicked. Abra, the second Pokémon they were battling with, seemed to magically appear in front of her with his tail radiating a bright silver colour. The tail descended towards Leaf as she closed her eyes. She heard the sound of an impact but there was no pain. Opening her eyes, she met Kuru above her – teeth tightly seizing the psychic-type's tail.

"_Umm… thank you…"_ she whispered.

Kuru didn't even look at her when he tossed the Abra across the field. He went back to his battle position, growling and exposing his teeth at the opposing duo.

"_They work so well together!"_ Blanca thought to herself. _"She immobilized Leaf with the Fake Out while Abra approached with a Teleport and got ready to hit her with an Iron Tail… They must've already spotted that Leaf is the weaker of the two. I'm glad Kuru has good reflexes or Leaf could've been seriously hurt right now."_

Eikou stood in the back but she did watch the match. _"Leaf's so small… no wonder they find her weak. Unfortunately for Blanca, not only Leaf looks weak but she is. Her only salvation over here would be Kuru, but can the flea bag handle two Pokémon on his own?"_

Leaf's muscles suddenly relaxed and she was able to move again. She quickly got back up on her feet and rushed to Kuru's side, eyes narrowing down. She wouldn't let herself be distracted anymore; she had a mission in that battle: to prove herself as a worthy opponent.

"Those two have strategy," commented Dan. "Think you can surpass that?"

Blanca took a moment to think and then answered. "I believe my Pokémon are able to give them a hard time, but, to be honest… I never used any battle strategy before."

Dan seemed to question Blanca's revelation. What kind of trainer didn't have a battle strategy? Even newbie ones developed a strategy right from the beginning.

"I use single attacks only and unfortunately that's what I'm used to…" Blanca shook her head and smiled, feeling a sudden confidence inside her. "But it's never too late to give it a try! Leaf, stay back and use long range attacks only. Kuru, combine Sand-attack with Tackle!"

Leaf took about five steps backwards and stood there while Kuru rushed forward and tossed sand into his opponents. The Skitty shrieked in pain as Kuru leaped in the air and struck Abra with a hard Tackle. Leaf took the chance and used her Razor Leaf to strike Skitty. Both opponents were tossed back to their trainers, still rubbing their eyes in pain.

"You're a fast learner, aren't you?" said the boy. "That Poochyena is strong while the Chikorita isn't so much. Your plan is simple, yet effective. The Poochyena, being the strong one, steps into action and attacks without mercy while the Chikorita, being weaker, stays in the back and protects her partner with long range attacks - Clever."

Blanca said nothing to the boy's comment, for he had a cheapish grin in his face that she did not appreciate. The boy and the girl gave each other a nod and turned to their Pokémon.

"There's nothing that I hate more then when somebody counters your strategy with a single attack." The girl laughed. "Quite annoying I tell you, but you're just gonna have to find that out yourself!"

At that point, Blanca noticed that Skitty was already up and facing Kuru. The dark-type growled, revealing a rather intimidating face. The Skitty hesitated for a bit looking back at her trainer, who gave her an okay nod. The Skitty grinned and sat on the grass; next, she summoned a shower of pink hearts towards Kuru.

Kuru tried to avoid the attack but it was useless and got hit with one of the hearts. His entire body trembled as he struggled to break free from the curse. Nothing he did seemed to work, for his heartbeat rose and he was unable to look at Skitty without feeling strange. He clenched his teeth and fell on the grass, shaking his head to dismiss the odd feeling inside of him.

Leaf trembled when she saw Kuru unable to control himself. It was a scary sight to say the least.

"_Heads up, green!"_

Abra's tail glowed the same silver colour as before when he once again appeared in front of Leaf. He roared as he smashed his long tail right into Leaf, giving her no time to even make an attempted dodge. She was flung into a nearby tree with a painful 'chika!' as her body smashed into the hard bark of the tree's trunk. Abra hovered away from her, regaining a bit of a distance. Skitty soon joined him and the two seemed to snigger.

The boy flipped his hair, not showing any signs of hiding his grin. "We take down the weaker one and then we face the hound in a two-on-one."

The girl agreed by nodding. "It shouldn't take long to finish the Chikorita."

Leaf never budged, she just stood there, motionless. Her eyes were opened but she chose not to move, even though she still had enough strength to at least get on her four paws. No, she wanted to stay that way, curled up in a ball just waiting for the pain.

One thing was certain; there was nothing her opponents could do that would surpass her emotional pain. It had been a couple of years always hearing the same thing: 'weak' 'small' 'clumsy'. She used to hear that almost everyday back at the lab when trainers refused to have her as a starter. She was always too small or too weak looking for them and never cute enough to anyone.

It pained her to watch her brothers and sisters leave while she stayed behind. She masked her pain with a smile and a happy attitude, but deep down she struggled. Sometimes, it was just impossible to be cheerful with so much negativism towards her. Every now and then, she just wanted to give up.

"Leaf!"

"_Blanca-chan?"_

Out of instinct, Leaf rolled and got back up. Her immediate reaction was to look for Blanca and there, to her right, was her trainer with her hands cupped around her mouth and shouting for her starter.

"Come on Leaf! You can do it! Don't let them get the best of you, you're so much better, they don't know you like I do! I believe in you Leaf, I know you're strong."

Air seemed to have vanished around Leaf, she couldn't breathe. Never in her life had anyone, ever, said they believed in her - much less had they thought she was strong. Leaf knew Blanca wasn't only telling her that for encouragement; she really meant what she was saying, she truly believed in her.

"_Like cheering is going to do you any good!"_ shouted the Abra, moving forward with his tail glowing.

"_I'll teach you good manners you disrespectful child!" _said Skitty, also ready to attack Leaf.

Leaf watched as her two incoming opponents rushed at her. She felt like prey, just waiting for the inevitable to happen. She used her head leaf to clean some tears that fell from her eyes unwillingly. She narrowed her eyes and braced herself.

"_This prey is the one doing the hunting!"_

As Leaf shouted, she shot a Poisonpowder into the air - purple gas mixed with powder of the same dark colour. She then jumped up and shot Razor Leaf after Razor Leaf through the powder. The spinning blade-like leaves caught a lot of the powder, turning them into deadly poison cutters. Not only did Leaf come up with a strategy, she made it both effective and beautiful at the same time.

Landing on the grass, Leaf, Blanca, Kuru, Eikou, Dan and even the opposing trainers watched as the leaves hit their moving targets. It all happened so fast and at the same time so slow. The spinning leaves slashed Abra and Skitty in different parts of their body, creating wounds that were like an opened door for the powder to enter and begin its deadly effect.

Before Blanca knew it, the opposing trainers were giving up and rushing to their Pokémon before the poison could devastate them. When the trainers passed by Kuru, he had snapped out of his strange state. It took him a while, but he was overwhelmed with surprise to learn that Leaf had won the battle. He wasn't the only one; Eikou stood mouth opened staring at Leaf who now jumped in joy to Blanca who received her in her arms. Both Eikou and Kuru needed their moment to absorb the event of Leaf, the airheaded Leaf, winning a hard battle and actually being quite impressive.

"I guess we learned something," said the boy while returning his Pokémon. "Never underestimate your opponent."

"I think we deserved that." said the girl, petting Leaf. "She is a great Pokémon, plus she's so cute being this small. You should do ok against Rustboro's Gym Leader."

"Thank you, it was nice battling you."

"Nice combo!" the boy shouted. "I never saw anything like that. It was great!"

Blanca revealed a soft smile. It was the first time anyone complimented her and she felt even better for receiving that compliment with Leaf. The little Chikorita had a confused expression in her face, still trying to understand how she came up with the strategy. Eikou gave Leaf a pat on the back while teasing Kuru.

"_I have no idea what caused her to attack that way, but she'll kick your tail in a couple of weeks!"_

Kuru snarled. _"She still has much to learn before she can even compare herself to me."_

Eikou laughed. _"Whatever you say, fleabag."_

"_I won!"_ Leaf shouted.

Both Eikou and Kuru were startled by her sudden shriek. Leaf ran around her two partners, and then moved on to Blanca who received her in her arms and petted her. Leaf's head leaf wagged like a puppy's tail, expressing all her happiness. Blanca couldn't be more proud of her starter.

"I hope to see you again," said the boy, waving.

"I hope to see both of you too," she waved back. "And I hope we can all battle again!"

The girl smiled and laughed. "Don't forget we'll be a lot stronger the next time we battle!"

Blanca firmly nodded, feeling already eager to face the couple again. Dan approached from behind to congratulate her and soon after, the two kept walking towards the city.

Throughout that day, Blanca faced many other trainers. Eikou was still 'unavailable' to battle, but Blanca took the time to train Leaf and Kuru and start learning about battle strategies. She perfected Leaf's early strategy and came up with a few for Kuru. Leaf and Kuru battled together two more times, but, the difference was, they really looked like a team working their way to victory. The more battles Blanca won, the more confident she felt about herself and the more she realized how much she loved being a trainer.

"Here we are. Welcome to Rustboro City, Blanca," announced Dan.

The sun set behind her, letting the sky filled with beautiful hot colours of orange, red and yellow. Rustboro looked beautiful under those colours, making Blanca feel at peace. She turned to Dan and the two shook hands.

"It was actually nice meeting you, Dan," she said giggling.

"'Actually'? Well, it's better than hating me!" he laughed. Dan's face turned soft as his eyes descended to Blanca's level. "Eh, I sincerely thank you, Blanca. You're a good girl, and I'm sure you'll accomplish a lot. If you ever need my help while in Rustboro, please look me up at the Devon Corporation building. I'd be more than happy to assist you."

Blanca broke their hand shake and smiled. "It really was no problem. I do admit that I am still confused with what happened in the forest, but I'm willing to forget that. We're both ok, we survived two bad guys so we should be proud of ourselves."

"Two?" he asked confused.

Blanca sighed and gave Dan a path in the back. "I'll see you around Dan."

The two went their separate ways, Dan to the Devon building and Blanca to the center. She walked through the peaceful streets of the city with all of her Pokémon outside. She couldn't help but occasionally glance at Leaf and feel proud of her starter. Leaf had accomplished a lot that day; she was growing up and would soon be a formidable Pokémon - That Blanca was sure of.

"Leaf?"

"_She's going the wrong way!"_ yelled Eikou, while pointing to her right, where apparently Leaf was going.

"_Some things are hard to change, I guess…"_ murmured Kuru.

* * *

**A/N:.** Weee, no cliff-hanger! Aren't I nice? Next chapter Blanca will be exploring Rustboro City and challenge the local Gym leader Roxanne. Will she be ready for the challenge? Don't miss it!


	9. A Confidence Boost!

**A/N:** It's been a while, but at least I'm updating! It's a small chapter, but I wanted to save the juicy stuff for the next one. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

* * *

**.****: Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see:.**

The wood pillar stood simple and graceful. The lawn beneath it was well taken care of – small, green grass with a nice scent to it. The day was pleasant, with a calm wind and a clean sky. The wind proved to be the key factor on that day, for if it were any stronger, the pillar wouldn't be able to stay up. Leaf presented herself a few feet away, eyes focused but evidently exhausted.

"_Hey-ya!"_

The petit green figure charged forward, at a considerable speed. About a foot away, Leaf jumped and whirled her head leaf in a perfect sequence. A blue, blade-like, cutting wind formed and was thrown, striking the pillar. The impact was brutal, but the effect not so much. Leaf only managed to cut a little over half the bulky wood.

"Put some heart into it!" a profound male voice shouted. "I wanna see that wood torn into a million pieces!"

"_A million?"_ Leaf repeated. Genuine worry in her fragile voice.

Blanca observed her starter from afar. She sat at a plastic blue coloured table, where she ate some very good meat pasta. Eikou stood at her right, eating the same in a smaller plate, while Kuru laid down on the left side sleeping profoundly. In front of Blanca, sitting on the opposite side, was a girl about a year or two younger than her. Her elbows propped on the table with her chin in her hands, gazing at Blanca for quite some time – to the point that it started to make the young trainer uncomfortable.

The girl had amazing light blue eyes that reminded Blanca of a morning, azure sky. She wore comfortable clothing with her dark hair pinned up. The younger girl would occasionally lean forward, as if to inspect Blanca closer. She possessed a broad, gentle smile, which was quite contagious; Blanca couldn't help but to smile back.

She was the daughter of the man who offered to train Leaf. He had, in a very strange way, called and insisted to teach Leaf a unique move that he called 'Cut'. The man seemed proud, but never explained why he tutored such a move. The younger girl, Liana, explained her dad helped built Rustboro City by cutting down part of the forest that once was there.

It was all thanks to the move he now tried to teach Leaf. A move he had taught many other trainers over the years - and had not failed to date. But Blanca thought he was probably overworking Leaf.

Blanca's starter had been training for hours, her exhaustion beginning to worry the adolescent trainer. "Liana is it normal to push a Pokémon so hard?" she questioned the girl in front of her.

Liana removed her chin from her hands, turning around to watch her father yell at the petit Chikorita. She frowned, yelling back at her paternal figure. "Dad, be nicer!"

"She's almost there!" he grumbled. "Come on Chikorita, that leaf on your head won't fall by cutting down a log!"

Leaf respired heavily, her tiny legs trembling with weariness. Her eyes were half shut, watching the thick log, which looked rather blurred to her. She struggled to stay in all four paws for the sake of not giving up. In her mind, she needed to know as many moves as possible in order to become stronger. Leaf closed her eyes for several seconds to recover her vision and focus.

Her eyes then fiercely flew open, and she charged. It was hard to distinguish Leaf from the green beneath her, although she stood out when she leapt in the air. Ever so focused, she whirled her head leaf, releasing another bluish blade-like cutting wind. The force struck the log, the sound resembling the blow of a bag filled with air. Leaf landed on her four paws, instinctively glaring the log, smiling once it broke into two perfect halves.

"_I did it!"_

Blanca rose from her seat, cheering her starter and feeling proud. Running even faster, Leaf jumped to her trainer's arms who hugged her tenderly; a touching moment that made Eikou roll her eyes. Liana's father laughed rather loud, causing Kuru to wake from his sleep. His large hand rested in Leaf's head and roughly rubbed her.

"Took all morning, but she finally got it! One of my hardest students I must say…" Leaf frowned as the man coughed while laughing some more. "But she got it! Just keep practicing and she'll be good."

"Thank you very much. I do appreciate your time," Blanca smiled. "It was very nice to meet all of you; I hope to leave a good impression at the Gym so I can make you proud."

Liana blinked, leaning her head to the right. "The move daddy taught your Pokémon won't be good against this town's Gym Leader."

"Is that so?" she questioned, surprised.

The girl crossed her arms, firmly nodding. "Roxanne uses rock-type Pokémon; normal moves aren't the wisest choice. Luckily, you have a Chikorita - a grass-type. Like water Pokémon, you have an advantage over Roxanne if you go with her."

Blanca gratefully took the information, happy to know she had an advantage; on the other hand, it was Leaf. Her starter was determined and had the will to learn and improve, but Leaf was still far from being ready to face a Gym Leader's Pokémon. However, according to Liana's information, Kuru was not a wise choice, and Blanca didn't want the event that took place in Petalburg to repeat.

Blanca felt her stomach suddenly contract with nerves – the first time she ever felt them for a match. It was probably the first time she took conscious of what trainers had to do, how much they had to train before a serious battle. She had battled a few trainers and wild Pokémon on her way there, but she had the feeling it hadn't been enough.

Liana possessed a funny look, giggling with Blanca's far too evident concern. "We have a Pokémon School here, you know."

"Umm?"

"A school," the girl repeated. "They teach all sorts of things, including good strategies. Maybe you should go see them before your match with Roxanne."

"Thanks, I'll do. Perhaps we could-"

"Young boy! I have the perfect move for that Pokémon of yours!"

Liana's father shoved between the girls, running towards a young trainer with a Shroomish at his side. Liana sighed as Blanca hid a snigger; the man had just found himself another student.

"Here we go again. Blanca, I wish you luck with Roxanne."

Both girls shook hands, and it was the only farewell Blanca did properly. Liana's father was already busy with the other trainer, making her only shout a good-bye before leaving.

**X**

An ominous wind blew across the unusually empty street of Rustboro. Blanca had the idea of associating a city with crowds, but Rustboro was just as busy as a beach in winter. It wasn't the least cold outside; in fact, it was one of the hottest summers Blanca could remember. Seeing a city so deserted, made Blanca wonder about a possible event taking place somewhere.

Sometime later and she found the school building. Her lips drew a soft smile, remembering the old days when she herself used to study. She approached the gates, noticing children playing on the other side.

"_My stomach shrunk and I have an eerie feeling… I don't like this place,"_ said Eikou, gulping.

Blanca gave her Ralts an amused look. "There's no need to feel that way, kids are great."

Blanca soon wished she had kept her mouth shut. As soon as she opened the gates, kids from the age of six to ten drew their attention to her and her Pokémon. They ran from their playground, shouting and pushing each other while rushing to Blanca – a frightening vision. They soon formed a small army around Blanca's Pokémon, pushing and pinching them. Their screams were painful, but a great barrier against Blanca's objections. She tried, for numerous times, to reach her Pokémon and normally she would've succeeded.

"That would be enough, children," came a voice and the kids froze in their place. "We have more than enough Pokémon inside. There's no need to nuisance others."

"Yeeess…" they replied in unison.

The voice was of a woman of short structure, with black hair pinned in original pigtails. Her clothing made Blanca wonder if she was their teacher; at least she had control over the children, and they seemed to respect her. Whoever she was, Blanca was grateful.

"Are you ok?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her gentle face.

"_Am I dead?"_ was all Eikou could say, gazing up at the pleasantly blue sky.

Kuru rose to his four paws in a slow camera way, his fur all messy and his teeth exposed in a very threatening way. _"K-kids! The plague… I'm going to hurt them!"_

Blanca quickly recalled her Poochyena inside his ball, before he even had the chance to move – she hadn't liked his furious expression. Leaf seemed more lost than ever, which made Blanca decide to recall her as well. She would've done the same for Eikou if it weren't for their agreement.

"I apologize," said the woman, approaching Blanca. "I'm still uncertain why, but they tend to be wild whenever trainers come here."

"It's ok, nobody got hurt."

"_Speak for yourself…" _Eikou grumbled, sitting in Blanca's right shoulder for the first time in a while.

The woman smiled softly for a second and then became serious. She made a hand gesture pointing inside the school building and the kids complied – like little soldiers, they marched inside. Once the last one was in, the woman broke into laughter. Blanca stared, somewhat startled by the change of behaviour.

"I'm sorry!" she laughed some more. "Please, won't you come inside? I'm sure you came here for a reason."

Blanca nodded, giving in to a smile. "Yeah, I actually came to learn a few things. I'm going to challenge Roxanne, but I don't feel quite ready yet."

"Is that so?" the woman narrowed her eyes, revealing a mischievous smirk. "I'd be more then glad to teach you what I can. I'm sure that after this you'll be more than ready for Rustboro's Gym Leader."

Blanca followed the woman inside the school building, excited with the idea of learning. First they stepped down a well lit long corridor, with lockers almost filling each side. They walked by many classes with subjects that caught Blanca's interest – Evolution, experience, anatomy, species, status effects and many others. Blanca was fascinated with how much she could learn about Pokémon in a single place; even Eikou seemed interested in a few things.

"Right this way, please," said the woman, walking through a door.

Blanca followed right after, finding herself in a class with many other kids. They stared her like she was an alien or something that didn't fit among them. She hesitated; feeling the urge to leave but the woman showed her a seat and began her class.

"Students, we have a visitor in our class today. Please say hello to…" she leaned, whispering to Blanca. "What's your name, honey?"

"Blanca Kimura…"

"Blanca Kimura is our guest today," she announced. "And we're having a special topic – battle strategy'"

There was some amusement in the class after the woman spoke.

"Element awareness is always a key factor for any battle strategy" said a girl quite enthusiastically.

"But a good defence or counter-attack is always important." another kid shouted.

The woman drew the proudest smile Blanca could ever think of. She crossed her arms, thinking of a challenge for her class. "Let's focus on a specific type then. Rock-type."

A kid in the back raised his arm and the woman gave him the 'ok' nod. "Grass or water-type Pokémon would be wise against them."

"Exactly," she seemed pleased. "Like we said, always keep element advantage in mind. But is element advantage all we need in battle? Is it enough to assure victory?"

The class went silent for a while, the kids discussing with each other an answer to give the woman. Blanca kept herself silent in her spot, more than ever aware that she wasn't the least bit prepared to face Roxanne.

"I think it isn't," a young girl, sitting next to Blanca said, slightly blushing. "A good battle plan is necessary. We never know what turn a battle could take, so we must always be ready for any sudden challenge."

"That is good;" the woman praised the young girl. "Prediction. One must never be too sure of his or her victory – ever. Always plan a step ahead of your opponent, carefully, only then may you savour the taste of win." She eyed Blanca. "Blanca, what would you do against a rock-type?"

Blanca seemed to have been caught off guard with the question and stammered a little. "I-I would… p-probably use my Chikorita…"

The woman gave her a hard look. "Going with the type advantage? It's good, but not enough. What else could you bring in a battle against a rock-type Pokémon? Say you didn't have type advantage; you had your Ralts over there. What would you do?"

Eikou felt Blanca's nerves and her inability to talk due to a blank. She mentally connected to Blanca's mind and gave an answer that she felt appropriate. Blanca froze in her place, when feeling Eikou reach her mind. She heard her Ralts and though confused of why she wanted to help, she tagged along. "Rock Pokémon are known for their physical strength, so I'd try to lower that with a Growl. Then, I'd avoid attacks with a Double Team and strike back with Confusion…"

The woman clapped her hands cheerfully and the class mimicked her. "That's it! That's strategy and a good one for that matter. I think you're ready for the Gym Leader, honey."

Without warning, the woman pulled Blanca up from her seat and showed her the way out.

"S-shouldn't I learn something more?" she asked, already outside the school building.

The woman closed the gates and smiled. "No need to, I believe you'll have a good match. Let's not keep the Gym Leader waiting; go for it!"

And before Blanca knew it, the woman was back inside. Eikou sighed heavily, wondering how many more strange people she would meet along the journey.

"Thank you," whispered Blanca. "That was actually pretty good advice you gave me."

Eikou snorted. "Your brain seemed to have blocked back there. You're just lucky I'm able to speak with you."

For some strange reason, Blanca lost all her nerves and insecurities while heading to the Gym. Perhaps all she needed was a confidence boost and that woman had given her that. Blanca now knew she had to work hard in order to become a good trainer. She'd have to train a lot more and always have a couple of strategies in mind.

She found her way to the Gym and halted in front of the tall structure. It emanated an intimidating strong vibe and trill all over her body. She couldn't wait any longer; she had gone there for that. Blanca opened the large doors, walked inside and shut them. The interior looked like someone had picked up a mountain and decorated with it. As Blanca walked further inside, she noticed a small audience in the row of seats. As she watched closer, she noticed she knew them – they were the kids from the Pokémon School. They cheered her as she kept calmly striding forward.

Eikou thought of the scene to be peculiarly strange and she couldn't help but wonder something wasn't right.

A strong light shot ahead of them, to illuminate a human figure. Blanca's crimson eyes went wide when she saw the teacher who showed her around the Pokémon School. The woman gave her a wink, followed by a smile.

"Hello Blanca, ready to face me? I am Rustboro's Gym Leader, Roxanne."


	10. Rocking Rustboro Gym

**A/N:** Don't quite remember the last time I updated this, but it sure has been a while – my deepest apologies. Before I wrote this chapter, I took the time to re-write the previous ones, correct some minor mistakes and add a few details. The story hasn't changed, so if you still remember the plot there is no need to go back. Still, if you wish to refresh your memory, by all means, do start reading. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I will keep writing as spare time comes.

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

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**.:A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things.:**

Roxanne giggled from afar, the kids in the audience cheering for a battle. "I hope you're not upset. But I brought the kids along for a chance to see a real battle in action – I guess you could call it a field trip."

Blanca blinked twice, shaking her head to dismiss her momentary confusion. "N-not at all..." she paused, taking in everything that happened in such a short time. "Roxanne?"

The woman grabbed the hems of her skirt, bowing once. "That's me! Rustboro's city Gym Leader and local school teacher." Roxanne smiled, taking a Pokéball into her hands. "I found it funny that you didn't know who I was, so I played along and did not reveal myself." an intriguing smile formed on her lips, as her eyes examined Blanca. "Still, you picked up my interest, you seem to be one whom one can have great battles with. This should be an interesting match, I'm really looking forward to it. I'll reveal my Pokémon first, so you may choose yours carefully. Be aware that I don't pity anyone, Blanca."

A match judge came and did the proper announcement and Blanca's challenge was official. Like Roxanne said, she was the first to reveal her Pokémon. Her Pokéball released a levitating round form. Arms stretched a second later and a face formed on what seemed like a rock. Blanca's Pokédex identified the being as Geodude – a rock-type, something Blanca already expected.

According to the judge, they could both use up to two Pokémon and Blanca already knew the ones she'd like to battle with.

The time was now, Blanca could show just how much she deserved to be a trainer, how much she wanted that dream. The young trainer kneeled and kindly stared at her Ralts. "As promised you'd get to face the Gym Leaders, Eikou."

The Pokémon let out a snicker. "_It is our agreement. I'm glad you kept your promise." _Blanca had been with Eikou long enough to notice there was something bothering her by the way her voice sounded. Her look must have given Eikou a hint on what she was thinking, for the young Pokémon added. "_To be honest, I was hoping for a stronger looking opponent – not a rock,"_ she shrugged, smirking. "_Guess it can't be helped."_

Eikou walked inside the fighting arena, carrying a rather indifferent expression. She and her opponent traded a couple of glares until Eikou demanded the match to start. Rather the referee heard her or not was unclear, but his arm went down and the match began.

"Rock Polish!" Roxanne was first to command.

Geodude's body produced odd sounds; small minerals fell from her body which started to appear less and less wrinkled. When that strange process was over, the gym lights reflected on her now perfect round form. Geodude then threw herself towards the rocky ground, wrapping herself with her arms.

Eikou observed carefully. "_So much for speed advantage…"_ she sighed, only to reveal a grin afterward. "_No matter, I'll take you down faster as well."_

With an arm stretched forward, Roxanne shouted. "Tackle!"

The rock-type rolled across the rocky field, her speed amazing to all who watched. Blanca only had time to call an avoid movement and it truly was all Eikou could do – and she did it very ungracefully, falling to the ground.

"_What the...!"_ Eikou felt a strong hit on her back, cutting the air our of her lungs. She fell face first with the ground bellow.

Geodude might have missed her first try at hitting her opponent, but her amazing counter-attack plus the speed boost didn't give Eikou time to even realize what happened to her. The rock Pokémon stood proud in front of her trainer.

"Eikou, are you alright?" Blanca called in worry.

Her Pokémon seemed to have survived well the brutal impact. She used her arms to help her lift and adjust her green 'hat', which she also used to disguise her murderous gaze towards the Geodude.

"_Stupid rock!"_ her mind cursed. _"I can't read her mind with her running around the field like this... I need time to concentrate on my target!"_

Roxanne narrowed her eyes who had Blanca locked in a gaze, she didn't seem pleased. "Rock Throw."

Blanca admired the woman's confidence behind each command, she clearly knew what she was doing and that was admirable. Compared to her, it was impossible for Blanca to stand out for the crowd, the same crowd who now cheered and shouted everywhere like any normal kids.

"_Stupid rock, stupid rock, stupid rock!"_

Eikou cursed her opponent as she ran aimlessly around the field to avoid the rocks Geodude threw at her.

The young trainer gasped. "E-Eikou!"

Her Pokémon didn't listen, not with all the rocks being thrown at her. She had already gotten hit by a few and at that rate not even Eikou could last long. Blanca froze, she didn't want it to happen again – what happened back at Petalburg Gym, Kuru, her mind couldn't bear another event like that.

"Come on Blanca!" a soft voice awoke Blanca from her trance. It was one of the little girls from the school. "Show us what you got!"

"Yeah!" another kid shouted. "We wanna see a real trainer battle!"

"Stop being such a coward! Roxanne said you were a real trainer!"

"_Roxanne did?"_ she wondered, eyes moving to where the leader was.

Indeed the woman had stated she believed Blanca could offer her a great match. Had Roxanne such belief in her? What gave her that feeling? Those kids, they all had come to see a real trainer in action. Not a scared, unconfident girl like her. That look the Gym Leader had, was one of great disappointment.

"_Roxanne told them they were going to see a great battle..."_ she smirked, noticing Roxanne had done the same once she noticed her confidence raising up. "_Then a great battle they shall see._ Eikou, Double Team now!"

Without even thinking, Eikou did as such and a circle filled with images of herself surrounded the now confused Geodude. This made the small Ralts reveal a smirk. _"Got you now."_

Their minds were locked, Eikou now had everything she needed to win.

"Use Magnitude!" the Leader called, her voice revealing some enthusiasm.

"Hit it with a Confusion, Eikou!" Blanca shout back. She felt her heart finding some joy and entertainment with each command.

Eikou's eyes glowed a bright purple color. Her psychic attack prevented Geodude from striking the ground and hence, prevent the Magnitude attack. She threw her opponent against a rock, smiling at the irony of that action.

The crash was brutal, breaking a hole into the rock. Geodude's body trembled as she tried to recompose herself, but the vision before her frightened her. Ralts, a whole army of them, all with shinny lavender eyes smiling ever so triumphantly at her. Rocks from the ground were lift, each and every single one of them aiming at Geodude.

Roxanne's eyes glowed in amazement. "Get out of there, Geodude! Evade it!"

"_Impossible."_ Eikou guaranteed it.

The assault began, rocks being thrown everywhere, resembling Geodude's own Rock Throw. The rock-type did try to evade the attacks, but no matter what she did, they all landed on her – like Ralts knew exactly where she would be. Eventually the assault ended with an unconscious Geodude on the ground.

A green flag rose. "Geodude is unable to battle! Ralts is the first winner." the referee announced.

The kids cheered, some very surprised but others excited with the progress. Blanca herself couldn't hide the broad smile she had. She had to admit, for a second there, she didn't think she could make it.

"Eikou, you were amazing!" she cheered, her Ralts simply waving a tired hand. This gesture made Blanca worry. "Are you alright for another round?"

The psychic-type shot her a hard look. _"Is that even a question, you idiot? I'm fine. Bring on the next wimp."_

Roxanne returned her Geodude back into its Pokéball with a strange smile on her face. She then proceeded into taking another Pokéball in her hands. "That was a very impressive move Blanca, glad to see you got your spirit up," she laughed. "It only makes me want to bring out the best in me as well!"

The Pokéball was thrown, releasing the typical white light that gave shape to an odd form. The Pokémon in question resembled an egg with a duck nose, but Blanca's Pokédex told her it was a Nosepass.

"_Oh boy, another hard one to hit,"_ Eikou complained. _"I didn't predict I wouldn't be able to read that stupid rock's mind so I ended up taking quite the beat,"_ her eyes examined her opponent. _"Good thing this one seems slow... and dumb."_

The psychic-type seemed to regain her confidence, she closed her eyes, concentrating her Mind Reader attack. Sure, it was unfair to use it before the match, but rules were meant to be broken.

"_What's this?"_ her eyes flew open. _"There's something interfering with my psywaves..." _she looked around, only to find the real culprit was her opponent herself. _"That arrogant nose of hers! It has such powerful magnetism... It distorts my psychic attacks... damn it!"_

The referee announced the start of the second match and Roxanne wasted no time. "Rock Throw!"

A light colored blue aura surrounded Nosepass, who lifted several rocks in front of her and threw them at Eikou. Eikou once again tried to make mind contact, but to no avail. The try cost her time and she was unable to avoid the incoming rocks.

"Use Double Team and then confuse her!" Blanca shouted in confidence.

Eikou coughed some dust from her mouth, her face anything but pleasant. She didn't particularly liked it, to follow orders that is, even if Blanca was her trainer she did like to do things her way. However, only when she had the advantage of knowing what her opponent planned to do next, that wasn't exactly the case so she had no choice but to obey.

Again, she created illusions of her image to surround Nosepass, each pair of eyes glowing for a critical confusion. Still, Nosepass seemed to have handled that attack well.

The Gym Leader smiled, flipping her hair backwards. "It's time... Rock Tomb!"

The blue aura resurfaced around Nosepass, the large boulders across the field starting to make odd sounds. Before Eikou knew it, three of those large boulders came dragging down the field, crushing all illusions and striking Eikou head on.

Eikou released a final gasp before falling unconscious and a red flag rose announcing Roxanne's victory.

Blanca ran into the field as soon as the second round winner was announced. Her arms pulling away the crushed rocks from her Ralts. "Eikou..."

The Ralts coughed rather violently, some minerals coming out along with the dust. _"I... hate rocks..."_ she said weakly.

Blanca actually smiled – at least she wasn't too hurt, she'd be fine after a visit to the center. She picked her up and returned to her place in the field, placing Eikou's tired body by her side. "Rest, I'll take care of the rest of the match."

Blanca took a Pokéball into her own hands, throwing it into the field, announcing her second and final choice.

"_Let's do this, Blanca-chan!"_

To Eikou's immense surprise, her choice had been Leaf. She understood the pick, but still... it was Leaf and that was an official Gym match. Blanca would be taking home, yet, another loss.

The girls in the crowd were all going cute over Leaf. It would seem they wanted to make a doll out of Leaf, something that made the small Chikorita blush.

Even Roxanne had to comment. "She's really small, isn't she? A normal Chikorita has about 0.9m but yours must be around 0.5m."

"Yes, she may be small, but don't underestimate her power."

Blanca pronounced those words with conviction, making Roxanne certain of the truth behind them. "Very well, let us begin then. Rock Throw!"

"Growl!"

For such a petite figure, Leaf sure knew how to cause a massive ear ache. Both trainers were forced to cover their ears before the laud Growl, that was quickly halted when a rock crashed against Leaf. Chikorita was quick on her feet to avoid the rest of the throw.

Both Pokémon faced each other in the eye, Nosepass already preparing herself for another Rock Throw if Leaf's second Growl hadn't distracted her. Now frustrated, Nosepass gathered all her strength to throw an ever bigger amount of rocks at Leaf. Even as the rocks came, Leaf kept her loud Growls coming, tough the consequence was being fully hit by the attack.

"What are you doing?" Roxanne asked at some point. "The idea of lowering my Nosepass strength is good, but it takes time and Growl isn't the most effective move to do it, not in a gym match," she sighed. "But I guess it's your choice... Nosepass, end this with Rock Tomb."

"_Here it comes!"_ Eikou mentally shouted, already on her two feet next to Blanca.

Nosepass was sweating, it took everything she had to gather enough strength to make those large boulders move. After much struggle, the boulders eventually obeyed her command and were thrown at Leaf. The Chikorita, evidently exhausted and hurt, shouted one last Growl before being hit by Rock Tomb.

Dust lifted around the impact area, quickly subsiding. Silence filled the air, everyone hoping for either the referee to call Roxanne the winner or see Leaf crawling out of her doom. And they got the second option.

With struggle, innerstrength and determination, Leaf managed to crawl out of her tomb. She stood very ungracefully on the field, exhaustively breathing and body trembling from all the wounds she'd suffer. But still, there was a smile on her face.

Blanca explained. "I have lowered Nosepass strength to the maximum, your physical attacks are practically ineffective now."

Roxanne tossed her hair, not appreciating the lecture. "That I can see, but at this point in battle it really makes no difference for me," she pointed towards the tired Chikorita. "Another hit, no matter how little, will be more then enough to bring your Pokémon down."

And that was when both Blanca and Leaf happily smiled at the same time, confusing Roxanne greatly. What was it with those two?

"This was a last minute strategy of mine, so it's not perfect, I'm aware of that," and her voice became exited. "But! At least I must see it work to the end... Synthesis!"

"W-what?" the Gym Leader gasped. Her mind had failed to remember a grass-type could learn healing moves so early on.

Leaf's body glowed in bright gold, the kids crying in amazement when seeing most of her wounds heal before their eyes. When the process ended, Leaf was ready to start her assault.

Blanca threw an arm forward. "It may not heal entirely, but its just enough to continue. Razor Leaf!"

"_Feel the wrath of my name!"_ Leaf squealed.

Eikou head-palmed herself. _"Leaf... That's a stupid thing to say..."_

But Eikou had to admit it, she did not expect that from Leaf. They took a big risk by believing Leaf could handle a few hits while lowering her opponents power, and now, the same opponent who not two minutes ago owned her was being brutally broth down by its type disadvantage. Hit after hit, the exhausted Nosepass quickly fell to her demise.

There was no explaining the excitement in the kids shouts and the bright faces they had. They were neither sad with Roxanne's loss nor content with Blanca's win – they were simply happy with the great battle their eyes witnessed.

Roxanne returned her Pokémon, revealing a satisfied smile. As for Blanca, the young trainer seemed to be in trance. Her lavender eyes seemed lost and her mind hadn't quite assimilated what had happened, until a very exited Chikorita rammed into her arms.

"W-we WON!"

The young trainer came to her knees, holding her starter tight in her arms while thanking her over and over again. Eikou crossed her arms, masking a smile.

"_You did well for a weed... hey!"_

Blanca took Ralts in her arms and ever so gently looked at her. Something that made the little Ralts uncomfortable. "Thank you, Eikou. You were great out there. I am only sorry I still lack enough experience to properly support you," she winked. "But give me time and I will get there!"

Eikou released herself from the embrace, pulling her hat down to hide her blushed face. _"You better improve! It's not like I can do everything by myself you little dweeb!"_

Blanca sweat dropped before such words, but she was probably getting used to Eikou's way of speaking and didn't give much importance to it. Especially since Roxanne had walked up to her at that point.

"I wasn't wrong. You do have what it takes to be great," she presented Blanca with a badge. "You just need more confidence and outside work. I can see you achieving great things Blanca. Here, the Stone Badge marks the beginning of your path to greatness."

Her eyes seemed to shine with joy when her hands took the Stone Badge. She eyed both Leaf and Eikou, making sure they saw the badge as well. "This, is our victory. It represents all we've been through just to obtain it. I want more. I want each badge to tell a story. So that when I return home," she held the badge before her eyes. "I'll have a collection of stories filled with adventure and excitement to tell."


	11. Returning from the mist

**A/N:** Blah, blah, blah, sorry for taking my time to update, blah, blah, blah

**Disclaimer:** Pokémon ©Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd., 4Kids Entertainment, Nintendo & Pokémon USA.

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**.:If you haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a day:.**

Blanca pushed her long hair away from her face and let out a smile. It was so pretty, the badge that is. The first one of her collection and she couldn't be more proud of it. She sat on a chair along with many other trainers, on the center lobby, who waited for their Pokémon's healing.

"Pretty," a raven haired girl sitting next to Blanca remarked.

Blanca eyed the girl a bit surprised, but replied to the nice smile. "Oh, thank you," she blushed, storing the badge in her bag. "It wasn't easy to get it. I realized I must work really hard in order to obtain these league badges."

The young girl blinked a bit at a loss and then hid a laugh with a hand. "I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to your hair color, it's quite unique..." the girl eyed Blanca even closer. "Oh, and I see you have contact lens to match your hair... cool. You do cosplay or something like that?"

The young trainer went mute for what seemed like forever. It sure had been a while since she heard any comments towards her odd colors. It was both her hair and eyes whom possessed a rose color in them and intrigued many when she was young. At times they would seem of a crimson color but that was a debatable topic.

She didn't color her hair nor wore contact lens – she was simply born that way. As a child, it was her nightmare. Kids at school would torment her over it, telling her it was fake no matter how many times she said it wasn't and tried to explain it as a disease or something. But kids were cruel. They would either throw glue at her or cut the longest strap of hair they could. For that, she had short hair as opposite to the long one she now had. It took years, but eventually the kids grew and, even without knowing what she really had, the whole town considered it a disease.

It was her biggest completion, but one she learned to accept.

Blanca smiled broadly when Nurse Joy came with one Pokéball and a grumpy Ralts next to her. Blanca never eyed the young girl next to her, but still replied. "No, I do not cosplay. It's just the way I am."

As confused as Blanca probably left the girl, she rushed to get her Pokémon back. Joy gave her back the Pokéball that had Leaf inside and Eikou returned to her seat that was Blanca's shoulder. The young trainer thanked Nurse Joy again and left the Center.

"_I hate hospitals..."_ Eikou snarled venomously.

Blanca ignored Eikou's grumpy mood and walked towards north of the city.

"_Where are we going?"_ It sounded like a question, but really it was more of a demand from a very bad humored Ralts.

"Route 115," Blanca never dared to eye her psychic-type. "I heard at the center that a lot of trainers go there for some practice, so I thought it be a good idea."

"_Ah, so you're starting to learn how to be a proper trainer. Honestly speaking, I didn't have much hope for you. Actually, I don't think you'll go to far, but if you are wiling to learn and grow as a trainer then maybe you can go further than I had anticipated."_

Blanca couldn't help herself but laugh. "Well, aren't you the supportive type?"

Eikou smiled while folding her arms. _"Think of it as supreme honesty. What, you'd rather if I'd lie to you?"_

Of course, the young trainer shook her head. "Not at all. I wish to grow as strong as I can." Blanca began to slow down her steps, as she came closer to a crowd of people.

She walked around the crowd aiming for route 115, but as she curiously peeked inside the crowd, she saw a familiar face. She came closer, until she was held by a yellow police line. There, was Dan talking to some police officers. A worried expression to his face.

"Dan!" she called out.

The man seemed to have recognized the voice. "Blanca! Oh, it's terrible," he approached her, excusing himself from the officer. "My Devon Goods they... they have been stolen from me!"

"What?" Blanca shook her head. "How?"

Dan seemed apprehensive in answering her, but eventually did so. "I... I was returning to the Devon Corporation when some members of that Team Manna ambushed me and stole the case. They knocked me unconscious, so I have no idea where they went."

"Dan..." Blanca felt somewhat sorry for Dan's immense bad luck. "I wish I could help you."

The man smiled poorly. "No need to worry, you already helped me a lot back there," he looked back where the police officer called him. "I have to go. I wish you the best of luck Blanca!"

She watched Dan move away and she herself did the same.

While walking away from the crowd, Blanca had to wonder. "Why the yellow line around?"

To what Eikou replied. _"I think that's where Dan was attacked. I saw some blood drops. Someone must've called the ambulance and the police while he was unconscious, but he came to his senses before the arrival so the police protected the place and started to interview him."_

"Makes sense, since his forehead was already patched up."

A couple of minutes later, Blanca had finally reached her destiny. But to her great surprise, there weren't any trainers around. She searched for a while more but to no avail.

"_Are you sure about this place?"_ Eikou asked, somewhat annoyed.

"It's what I was told at the center," Blanca was sure of herself. "I swear."

"_Stupid humans... never a reliable source."_

"Oh hush!" Blanca snapped. "We can still train by ourselves. Developing new moves and hopefully some battle strategies. It wouldn't do us any good to just jump into battles without some previous thinking."

Eikou had to agree.

She waited while Blanca dropped her bag on the ground and released the rest of her team. Leaf leaped around in joy as usual, earning herself a smack in the head when trying to hug Eikou.

"Well," Blanca began. "I can see there's still a lot for us to develop, but for now I think its best just to work with what you guys have."

"_Meaning, our current moves."_ Eikou translated.

"Yes," the trainer smiled. "I saw how hard it is to teach you guys new moves by observing Leaf master Cut, but before we get there, I think it's important to master what we already have."

"_Sounds smart enough..."_ Eikou yawned out, her eyes keeping a close attention to the sudden rustle in the trees around the area.

"Perfect! I'd like to start with Kuru then, I already thought of a few combos we could use to give us some advantage in battle."

"_Something's not right here..."_ Eikou whispered, still looking around.

"_What is it?"_ Leaf asked, puzzled by her look.

"_Bug off weed. You're distracting me."_

There was someone else in the area, Eikou was sure of it. But whatever it was, it was good at concealing itself. Eikou could pick some mind waves, but not to the point of locating the identity. She knew the thing was also onto to her by the sudden disturbance in the waves. It was not a human, though it felt to her like one, no human possessed the ability to sense her power.

The thing moved._ "Blanca watch out!"_ Eikou yelled.

Eikou was quick enough to teleport herself to where the startled Blanca was, only to get hit away by the new comer. She didn't have time to see, when Eikou managed to get up the attacker had leaped into the nearest tree, taking their trainer with him.

Leaf yelled out her trainer's name, while a very confused Kuru couldn't understand what had just happened. Eikou once again teleported herself, this time to the tree, once there, only the rustle of the branches indicated their direction.

**X**

Blanca screamed to the point that her throat hurt, but the figure would not subside his swift leaps from branch to branch. He held her effortlessly with only one arm around her waist, her face facing downwards. For many times she tried to raise her head, but never succeeded due to the speed.

Eventually she no longer had the strength to yell. Shortly after her silence, the two came to a stop at a large tree branch.

Her kidnapper carefully dropped her body on the branch. "I must say, your screaming is rather painful for someone with such great hearing as I."

Blanca's body trembled as she came to a sit position. Her eyes grew wider and fear took over her once she saw the boy. "Y-you-you're.."

"Scream again and I'll hurt you."

It was the boy she saw back at the Forest. The boy with the sky blue eyes and deformed figure. The boy who almost killed her. Blanca's instincts told her to back away. But sitting on a branch that high, there really was no place for her to flee. Oddly enough, the boy before her seemed much less frightening than before. His long beige coat covered his entire body. His hands were hidden away with leather-brown gloves.

She didn't know how, but she found the courage to speak. "W-what do you want with me?"

The boy was scanning the area. "I'm going to use you to get something I want."

Well, he sure was honest. "Me?" her mind was puzzled. "I don't know you, how can I even be of use to you?"

The boy finally eyed her. "Nor do I know you," and without warning, he picked her up again. "But some people do."

This time, Blanca did not yell. Perhaps due to the boy's ensuring words that he would harm her otherwise. The speed that the boy used was incredible, especially considering he was moving between trees. The speed and the height made Blanca's stomach drop. However, one thing had stayed on her mind as the boy carried her – what people?

**X**

"_Let me go, Kuru! Let me go!"_ Leaf cried and yelled, using all her strength to release herself from Kuru's grip.

"_You're not going anywhere!"_ Kuru snarled. _"We don't even know where they went, how do you_ expect to find Blanca?"

"_I don't know, but I will!"_ tears streamed down her face, causing Kuru a heartbreak just by watching.

"_They went towards route 116, that much I can tell."_ Eikou said rather calmly.

Kuru gave her a harsh glare. _"You're not helping."_

The psychic-type shrugged her shoulders. "_Staying here and do nothing isn't going to help Blanca either."_ at that point, Leaf eyed her with teary hopeful eyes, making Eikou look away. _"Unless you wish to search for a human and bark at him until he understands our trainer has been kidnapped."_

"_You could always speak to a human through their minds."_

"_How much time are we wasting just by doing that? Plus, they'll first ask us a lot of questions __before actually searching for her."_ she sighed rather heavily. _"I'm with weed on this one. We should go, now."_

Kuru fell silent for a moment, slowly releasing Leaf from him. The small Chikorita didn't waste time in running the second she could move out of there.

Eikou laughed at this. _"Come on, let's go. Somebody has to at least point her the way to route 116."_

**X**

Blanca and her attacker seemed to have reached their destination, when he jumped to the ground, hiding behind some bushes. Blanca had no time to see where she was, for he immediately lifted her up by pulling her left arm behind her back.

"That hurts..." she complained.

The young man ignored her, leading her out of the bushed and into the road. She then noticed a cave and near that cave an old man with worry in his face. They caught the old man's attention when approaching, causing great alarm in him.

"Leonard!" he shouted confused. "Where have you been? Who is this girl? What are you doing to her?"

This shocked Blanca. So the old man knew this strange boy. This seemed to relieve her hearth a bit.

"Chill out gramps," the boy, Leonard, smiled. "She's what's going to get us Peeko back home."

Now, Blanca was once again puzzled, however, the old man eyed her with hope.

"She is? Who is she?"

Leonard let go of her arm, placing his hand around her shoulders as though they were familiar with one another. "She also has something to retrieve from that thug, and we're going to get it together," he leaned in closer, as if about to whisper into her ear. "After all, you do want those Devon Goods back, don't you?"

Blanca's whole body shivered. How did he know again about the Goods? The old man sighed in relief.

"That monster! He knows no limit to his actions."

"Peeko?" Blanca asked. "Is that... your Pokémon, Sir?"

The old man smiled. "Indeed! She was stolen from me by the same man that stole your Goods. He now hid himself inside this cave filled with wild Pokémon." his eyes turned towards Leonard. "I hope you two can get it back..."

"We will old man, rest assured."

The boy then grabbed Blanca again by the waist and rushed inside the cave.

The inside wasn't what neither of them thought it would be. It was misty, cold and they had the strange feeling of being watched by the local Pokémon.

Leonard let go of the young trainer. "From what I understand, this cave is where the Pokémon Whismur lives." He narrowed his eyes, not being very successful in distinguish what was up ahead. "They're very timid Pokémon, but don't try to startle one our your ears will regret it."

"Why are you doing this? Did you take me to get the Devon Goods back? You tried to kill me back at the forest! Your actions make no sense to me."

The boy scratched his face, never really looking at her. "I did try to kill you before, but I hadn't taken a good look at you yet. I see you are now more useful to me than I could ever imagine." he smiled deviously.

Blanca turned her back on him. "I don't know you... please, just leave me alone."

"You don't want to get those Goods back?" he asked genuinely surprised. "I thought they were important to your friend."

She turned to him again. "Then, is it really true that the man who stole Peeko also took the Devon Goods?"

"Weren't you hearing gramps back there?"

Blanca was at a loss for words. "Very well... I will go with you until we find this man and take what he stole. But that is all. After this, I wish never to see you again. Your interest in me freaks me out a bit."

Leonard laughed, but not too loud. "Let us go then."

It was hard to see, but as they walked further inside, it was possible to understand that someone had been working on that tunnel, as if trying to connect it with another place. But most parts were unfinished and even a bit sloppy, like it had been dug by human labor alone without any help from machines.

"Who's there?" a voice shouted from the mist.

A fade shadow could be seen, making Leonard smile with satisfaction. "Howdy partner. Didn't expect to meet you so early on."

There was a brief silence. "That voice... you... from the forest!"

It was then Blanca understood to be the same man. The one who claimed to belong to Team Manna.

"Good memory! Now, you know why I'm here right? I need that Pokémon and the Goods back."

"You idiot!" the man yelled, causing some local Pokémon to sneak back into their hiding places. "I'm not giving you back the Goods, we need them!" he fell silent again. "But... it would seem I did well to steal this Pokémon. I'll give it to you if you let me go!"

This perplexed Leonard. "Escape? That's what I've been wondering, why haven't you escaped yet?"

"... This cave is blocked, I can't get out thru here..."

This time, Leonard really laughed with joy. "You're telling me you're trapped? You should've told me that sooner! It really would've spared me the work of grabbing this girl. Seriously, what a waste!"

Leonard leaped when the man yelled in frustration. However, to the surprise of everyone there, something grabbed Leonard tight and threw him towards a wall, causing him to release a sound of intense pain.

Blanca looked behind her back, and there, in the mist, came Leaf, Kuru and Eikou.

"You guys!" she was as much as surprised as happy. "How did you...?"

"_No time for that!"_ Eikou raised her hand. _"We need to get out of here!"_

"That guy has the Devon Goods!" Blanca pointed out.

"_Then fight for them! Looks like you already have someone ready for that!"_

It was true, when Blanca came around, her starter, Leaf was already in battle position against a Drowzee that the enemy had released in the mid of the commotion.

Reluctantly, Leaf released her vines from Blanca's kidnaper to concentrate on her new attacker. The Drowzee's owner seemed to be in a state of panic, without really knowing what to do.

"Leaf..." Blanca whispered.

The tinny Pokémon didn't look at her, but seemed determined. _"Blanca, you trust and believe in me. You are my friend. I'll always give my best to protect you!"_

Eikou felt sorry that Blanca couldn't hear those words, but it made her view Leaf in a different way. Perhaps the little weed wasn't so pathetic after all.

Blanca raised an arm forward, receiving the confidence that Leaf was also feeling. "Leaf, PoisonRazors!"

The petite Pokémon began glowing a strange bright color, dissipating the mist in the area. Now both opponents were visible to one another. Still glowing, Leaf threw the deadly purple powder in the air – a serious look on her face, one Eikou had never seen before, one that Blanca also possessed. Those two, Leaf and Blanca were more connected than Eikou could ever imagine. It was rare, for a Pokémon to have such a deep connection with a human.

To everyone's amazement, the glowing figure of Leaf strangely began growing as she shouted a war cry while releasing her Razor Leaf attack. The sharp leaves picked up the deadly poison, aiming directly to her surprised opponent Drowzee and finishing him in one hit. The Manna member's breathing was heavy, he immediately retrieved his Pokémon inside the ball and ran passed Blanca in panic.

"Take everything! Just... just leave me alone!" His screams echoed, scaring away the Whismur but luckily, not enough to make them scream too.

Blanca was so caught up in the moment of watching Leaf evolve into the beautiful creature before her eyes – a Bayleef. - that she had failed to notice the man escape. Leaf had also began to notice herself once her own tension had subsided. She seemed to feel a bit dizzy with her new height, even if she still was considerably small compared with an average Bayleef. Still, she seemed to enjoy the new look.

Blanca ran and hugged her starter, feeling truly happy that they had all gone to help her. "Thank you Leaf, thank you." she glanced over at Eikou and Kuru. "Thank you, all of you."

Leaf suddenly whipped out one of her vines around the body of the boy who had taken Blanca from her. He had recovered from the impact and was about to grab what the man left behind.

"That thing of yours, isn't very friendly now, is she?" Leonard complained, slightly playful, slightly annoyed.

Blanca rose to her feet. "What did you expect, by the way you took me?" the boy rolled his blue eyes. Blanca sighed, giving Leaf a few strokes in the head to calm her down. "It's alright, he only came to save a Pokémon and to retrieve the Devon Goods. He's not as bad as we think."

Eikou looked over once Blanca spoke. Truly, there was a small cage with a Wingull trapped inside. And not far from it, an all to familiar brief case. Eikou took the time to speak with the trapped Wingull, learning what she needed for the situation at hand.

"It's true, that Wingull says she's with this guy here."

Leaf took her time, angrily eying the boy before cautiously releasing him.

"Thanks," he dusted himself. He approached the now happily chirping Wingull and released her, also picking up the brief case and throwing it towards Blanca who caught it with both hands. "There, we both got what we wanted. See you around..." he tried to remember the name he heard her Pokémon call. "Blanc? Blanche?"

"It's Blanca Kimura..."

He smiled. "Leonard. Hope our paths cross again soon, Miss Kimura."

And with that he left. Blanca did want to ask him many questions, but his presence bothered her greatly. Perhaps it was best if their paths, unlike what he wished for, were to never cross again.

* * *

**A/N: **Yup! The mystery boy shows up again! Next chapter we shall learn a little bit more about him. But what did you think of this chapter and Leaf evolving? Was it too soon? Leave a review!


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